Ive been sewing!

I am having so much fun making stuff to sell in my store! wow. Who would have thought that, it took me a year to get my courage up to try to make something and now that i have, im going to town.

I love cloth napkins.... so of course they were first.....

This yellow set is so cute. Ok, i have to get better at the pictures, i can see that!

but these little gems of cuteness i love. Sharon asked for a set for her and sophie to have tea parties with!

they are 5 1/2 in square and washable. I can think of so many uses!

and today i have started working with the plaid shirts... i am making a baby quilt to put on there!

I opened an Etsy store

Dont we all do it sometime or another... us quilters??? we open etsy stores to sell our stash because if there is one thing we do really really well it's hoard fabric!!!

I have a stash management issue. My recycled fabric now exceeds a closet and someone has moved into the room with that closet, and i need to clean it out and give them their closet... so what is a girl to do??? sell it on etsy of course! So... you 20 followers out there... here is your mission... lol if you know of a way i can advertise, have a giveaway to promote the store... ect... please please let me know!! (oh if you have any suggestions on how to move the items too let me know!!!) if you have any friends who quilt and who are into the vintage sheet thing... let them know!

but this isn't just any stash. It is my collection of over 70 vintage sheets (so far that is what ive found... i have a few more bins that im sure is full of vintage sheets) I have started cutting the sheets down to fat quarters and half yards. I will eventually have whole sheets and scrap packs... oh and pillow cases, i have a gazillion of those! I have started with the fat quarters and i now have 8 listings on etsy! woo hooo!

I have over 50 different plaid and striped mens shirts. I plan to cut these down (because i need some of the fabric, right???)  and selling them as packs of the backs and then scrap packs.

pictured above: Shabby stripes quilt made from recycled shirts and Ralph's quilt from his recycled plaid shirts

But wait... there's more!!! See, our lives have changed. We have moved back to San Augustine and although we are going to eventually open another store, this one is not full time for both of us if Caty (his daughter) stays on and quite frankly we need a break. Ralph is going to pick up some more horseshoeing customers to increase his income and keep busy and  i decided that since i have all this fabric floating around, I'm going to sew some things with, and sell that too (probably not quilts too much work, and too hard to get what they are worth!) Cloth napkins, pillow covers, bunting, you know the easier to make things.....

am i crazy??? probably. I had wanted to do this before opening the Houston store but i couldn't do both so i put this on the back burner. Since we came home and i am spending alot of time at home and it would mean we would have to pay a babysitter for the grand babies if i got a job i would really like to make this work. I really don't want to get a part time job in East Texas! lol first of all that's assuming i COULD FIND a job in East Texas! lol.

Ok, i will just come out and say it!!! I really want to try to make a small income from fabric and making things. I think im having a hard time admitting this because who wouldn't like to, and over the year ive seen people come and go trying! so here its my turn and im throwing my hat into the ring!

big sigh... i feel like i just confessed a deep dark secret! lol!! wish me luck and please visit my store!

www.etsy.com/shop/upcycledfabric

In the Blink of an Eye

One day we were working our tails off opening a restaurant in Houston. Then next i was back in San Augustine working, taking care of a 17 month old child.

Life can change in the blink of an eye and this little guys family is having some problems, mom is pretty sick and dad is having a hard time too... so paw paw and i are helping out for a while. We couldn't do it from houston so we came home...

He has stolen my heart. the little monkey butt!!

Fall Bloggers Quilt Festival

Here is my latest finish that i actually wasn't going to blog about till i finished another one just like it for his brother... but i really do think this one is awesome so here it is.

It is a small twin quilt. The boys have bunk beds and what mom can get their kids to make the bunk bed, with this quilt it will cover the bed but thats about it, Its 52X70 they can straighten them out without all that tucking and room will look put together.

The two boys (5 and 6) are my grand children. They belong to Travis and Bridgette (one is his and one is hers but the cool thing is they are both ours! lol) I started them a while ago but just now finished this one, I have the border yet to put on and then quilt on the other one.

 The quilt is entirely from recycled fabrics. It is called Kisses from Paw Paw because the X's are from my husbands shirts (the man holding the quilt up) the white were sheets found in the bargain bin at goodwill. The yellow on the back was actually a sheet i bought recently at a yard sale. I love the texture of that sheet, its really soft.

I quilted it on my machine in easy straight lines.

I am hoping to have both finished by christmas so i can give them the  quilts this year. For now, its what i wake up to every morning, its hanging over the railing next to me... it makes me smile

Im linking to the 2012 Fall Bloggers Quilt Festival.

Bloggers Quilt Festival Facts:
52 X 70
Special techniques:
made with recycled fabrics
strip piecing vs. blocks
Quilted by me on my home machine
categories: bed quilt, scrap quilt

quilting without a plan

I finally posted the last three finishes. I didn't take pics and because of this i quit blogging... i miss it and i miss talking about my quilting "for the record" i actually do look over my blog to see where ive been, when i started something. So... I had to put those three out there without pics, too the world....

we have opened zippys number 2. I am really proud of us because we are getting some awesome reviews and it is doing well. We need it to do three times as well as it is but each week we can feel it growing. Now its a process of figuring out how to run a store up there from down here and how to grow this one.

The title of this blog entry is quilting without a plan because... i have been working a little here a little there. Again i have no quilt batting... so i cant finish anything. So im not worrying about the borders that i need to do on the granny square quilt or trevors quilt... im not worried about 4 other quilts i have ready to quilt... im just playing with fabric.

And its perfect for my life right now because i dont think it could get any more stressful and i dont think i could take one more thing, especially my hobby putting stress on me. So... im quilting without a plan, Ive started a mess of projects, not really going anywhere with any of them... Im cutting alot of fabric into my precut stash and as i do that im sewing them together on a few things that have been swimming around in my head. (i really dont have room for all the "bigger than a crumb too small to fold with yardage fabric" so its all getting sliced and diced to go in my precut bins.)

So here they are...

1. 4 inch plaids. I love my 10 inch plaid quilt, i wanted another with the smaller scraps. So im cutting the chunks of left over plaids into 4 in. squares and here and there im sewing 4 patches. Eventually i will have enough to finish it.

2. 4 inch stripes. i loved the shabby stripes quilt i made sharon (the pic in the far right of my header) so much, im cutting all of my stripe fabric into 4 in squares and im making myself a shabby stripe quilt (note... the baby quilt i made last month was from this stash, i like my shabby stripes alot! lol)

why 4 inches on these. Because all my scraps on the stripes and plaids were smaller than 6 inches. I had used them pretty hard for the shabby stripes, soar and lonesome dove on the plaids. So... cutting 4 inch was easy with the 4 inch ruler. My precut scraps are actually 2 1/2, 4 1/2 and 6 1/2 because they play better with each other. the 4 inch squares dont play nice and after i get enough for these two quilts i will quit cutting this size!

3. speaking of them playing nicely together, this is 2, 4, 6, 8... ok there isn't 8 in squares but there are 2 inch, 4 inch and 6 inch squares and you cant grow up in the 80's and not say 2, 4, 6, 8! (laverne and shirley please) I have been putting together a random size block here and there and add it on. The other day i sewed together what i have so far. I think its about 1/2 done right now. I was inspired by this quilt by Karamat

4. plus sign. I have two quilts i made with the X (or the plus on point) but they had white background. I keep seeing this quilt and i had to start saving my precuts for it and well, i started sewing the 3 pieces together. Im using all of my 4 1/2 in precut stash that i have 5 of... so it may take a while to collect. I think i figured i needed 125 sets of 5 and i have about 30. I dont know if i will make it a true charm quilt (only one plus of each fabric) but i am going to make it as scrappy as i can!!)

5. rainbow strings... one day i started playing with my strings and decided to start this one. Its a pain in the patutie but i love it and cant wait to finish it.... another when i get the urge i make a peice or two of it.

ok 5 starts in a month... lol and i say im stressed and dont have time to quilt! It really is my stress relief so maybe thats why im doing so much of it. we have been REALLY stressed!

Last month before we opened the store i did finish the three i posted about in my last three blog entries, i also finished the paw paw kisses of landons... but i will blog about that when i finish trevors matching quilt. I finished a top for a friends daughter (would finish that one if i could afford batting!!) I pieced the rows of dallas' soar, i just need to do the setting squares in the corners... easy peasy... i really should finish the flimsy on this one!

Oh and fabric swap! I was part of a swap last month I dont know if i even thanked sewsara!!! really the first of october has been a blur. But i got these 4 fantastic fat quarters from her, a bunch of scraps which i have already sliced and diced and used!!! and a adorable pin cushion! I love it.

I think i will wait a few months for things to settle down before i participate again, but i did enjoy my first "swap" experience!

phew... i got it all out there... this has been all cooped up inside and i couldn't blog because the pic thing was holding me up... i feel better now!

linking up with Lee's WIP Wednesday

September Finish Travis Star

Another mid september finish (I had ALOT of time on my hands in september!)

I started this around christmas time so its about time i finished it. I carried it around with me for a while, but we were busy at work and I never got time to finish the binding. Yep... the binding has held me up forever!

This quilt is for Travis, one of Ralph's sons. It is from his mom and dads plaid shirts and I think the simple big star is perfect for travis!

The star is actually the back and the front is denim. I have 6 of these i have either finished or am in the process of. One for each of ralph's sons (and son-in-laws) This is finish # 4 of the 6. The denim is from jeans they gave me and jeans of their fathers. They are stained and i used those stains on purpose. This is a hard working family. Ralph horseshoes, Travis, Buck and Jonathan are linemen (repair electrical lines for the electric company) Chris is a helicopter mechanic for the coast guard, coleman at the time was in the coast guard as well (hes a college student now) Jess was in the army and now he paints houses. These were for them and i wanted the denim side to show their hardwork.

wow this camera pic is the ONLY pic i have of the star and ive already given it to him! again going to have to get better pics next trip home.

I really think this star is my favorite. They all were "experiments" or me trying to be creative and step outside of my comfort zone in my learning process. What i expect them to use these for is to take the kids to the pond fishing with them, keep them in their trucks for kids baseball and softball games... things like that.. to be used.

Another finish - baby boy quilt

I decided one weekend to try making something to sell. I made the quilt but i decided half way thru that i didn't want to sell it. I hated making something that i didn't know who was going to get it and i hated not "loving it" which being "generic" for someone to buy seemed unloveable to me.

I decided to donate it at the time... which made it loveable and i could finish it... lol update though, i actually kept it and it covers an old trunk in our bedroom so that Duke the dog can use it to jump up on the bed. Its perfect and goes great in the bedroom. I will have to make another for donation.

It is made from recycled striped shirts. I used the really soft yellow sheet that i love for the back (im almost out of it!) I decided not to donate it because after washing there was a small tear in the sheet and i had to patch it.. i couldn't donate it then! But i do  I love the softness of the colors with the dark blue pop.

again... bad pics but posting it "for the record" I have lost the camera cord in the move (again) and i cant charge the camera to take better pics! part of why i haven't blogged for the last month and a half... well that and we opened a restaurant... thats been a little crazy.

My Flower Garden Finish

I wrote this blog at the begining of september and was going to post it once i took pics... lol but i never took the pics. I am posting it now for "the record"

This one is finally to the owner. I had to talk ralph out of it but it now belongs to Adrianna our daughter-in-law. They just moved in with their grandfather to take care of him and they needed a nice quilt to make the bedroom theirs.

the funny thing is i didn't take any pictures of my finish! so ... im posting unfinished pics.

Next trip up i will see if we can get it outside and take some pics... because i would like them for my sake!

I kinda felt like singing pomp and circumstance the whole time i quilted it. It feels like i "graduated from beginning quilting with this quilt. My seams match, my quilting doesn't have puckers. I "designed" it myself and i think my construction method was pretty smart. (not pattern needed ingenious, but more tutorial because there is a really easy way to make it)

It is scrappy but i actually "matched" fabrics for this one... and i did have a theme, all the fabrics were from my stash and they were botanical. It is a perfect quilt for fat quarters. There were some value decisions as well to maintain the Irish chain through it.

I did do two borders on this as well, a mustard and then a blue... it was really pretty but i dont have a PIC!

I did stall on the process because i wanted to piece some of my floral sheets together for the back, i do not like sewing big chunks of fabric together... if its more than 10 inches of fabric i just have no idea how to cut it square and straight and sew it together without it being crooked. So... the back isn't perfect. I guess the back is the one area where i got a C on my final grade... but i did make it how i wanted and i did pass the beginner class!

Just Three September

Ok, two posts in a month is pretty lame and i will try to post more since i have been working more on sewing.

First let me say I went to my first ever Quilt Guild meeting. It was the Tri County Quilt Guild (NW Harris, Montgomery and Waller Counties) I decided to go to this one because it is just down the road and well, their meeting was in 1 hour (lol i was looking yesterday after work for guilds in houston!)

I took my flower garden quilt to work on the binding which i didn't do because when i got there they ushered me thru signing in and what everything was and it was a "oh you brought show and tell" i said no, i brought it to finish binding... they said you HAVE to show it in show and tell!! (not like legally but as in please, we would love it if you did) so i did.... i was really nervous about this since i had to talk in a mic and i have no idea what i said when i said it... i STILL hate public speaking even with all the radio we did. People said nice things about it. It was bigger than most quilts in show and tell! lol I do make BIG quilts. 

I also won a door prize (no pics but it was a pin cushion and some fabric)!

I have wanted to join a guild for a while now for a few reasons. First like minded people, Second to learn new things and expand my horizons and finally... the charity work. I do like making my charity quilt each year and in a guild that is one of the things they do. 

I took a pillowcase kit and a quilt kit to finish (back, front and binding, they just need someone to finish it) for their charity quilts and pillow cases. 

I finished the pillowcase last night:

The quilt will have to be over a weekend

So... August Goal Check In... hmmm

1. finish the three quilts i brought to finish. Travis' star I haven't touched. My flower garden I finished all but about 3 ft of binding (it was the one i took to the guild meeting to finish!) and my granny squares... nope... no progress.

2. finish squaring up the blocks for soar! YES YES YES i am finally finished on this one and if its just a throw and not a bed quilt so be it, im not making any HST's for it anymore! lol.

3. Organize the sewing space. I did buy one bookcase and i get to buy the other two after we open zippys but there have been some delays on that.... I think it looks pretty good for how much stuff i have!

Now i did get sidetracked. It was almost as if i needed to start something to motivate again so I started You Are My Sunshine and the Striped Baby (both flimsys now)

September Goals:

1. Lets try it again but make it a bit simpler. Finish My Flower Garden and Travis' Star. All i have is a little binding on each and ive been working on them in bed before i go to sleep. I should be able to knock that one out!

2. Finish Landon's Paw Paw Kisses (I am actually almost done quilting this one) the baby quilt  and the charity quilt kit (These are both flimsys that have backs and are ready)... should be easy peasy. I can finish binding them in bed if i just do a little each night!

3. Ok, the harder one. I have You are My Sunshine (needs a back), Trevors Paw Paw Kisses (needs a border) and Granny Squares (needs a border and a back) I would seriously like to have all three of these ready for quilting by the end of the month (id like to have one of them quilted but im not pushing my luck... although i do have time this month we are still waiting for permits... so maybe!!)

LOL...how bout if i say this. I also have Dallas' Soar that if it distracts me im not going to stop it. I would love to finish it too!

one more.... i have a quilt in my head dying to get out. It is inspired by the folks who make western music, by mine and ralph's relationship, and a song by Wylie and the Wild West called True Love Travels a Gravel Road and the phrase in it "cotton dress world." I do love that phrase because i think i mentally live in a "cotton dress world" alot... that place where life is simple and innocent. (the more complicated harris county gets in this process of opening a restaurant the more i escape there!) The phrase just brings to me an image of this calico cotton dress i used to wear.  I am trying to figure out how to use a bunch of my small floral calico prints (me in my cotton dress) and some plaid (for my cowboy) Ive pulled my fabrics and they are lovely and it really took a bite out of my big chunk drawers so yeah... getting rid of stash!! I know it will be called Prairie Waltz because its dancing in my head but i cant seem to make the two elements dance together!! BUT... if i work it out i wont stop it either.. im going to run with it.

Sorry about the pic quality. they are from my phone, i cant find the charger to the camera I think we left it in east texas??? But i need to find it to take better pics.

I am linking up with Traceyjay's Just Three where you pick three goals for the month! Go check out the other pretty works!!

Work in progress Wednesday

I had to start something to get motivated. This could be very dangerous in that it makes that WIP pile grow but this time i was feeling sooo stuck on what i had to work on and so frustated with some houston setbacks i decided to just start something fresh.

I did get half way thru it (fabric cut and most of the snowballs made when i felt the urge to piece the back and quilt the flower garden quilt.

Gonna try on my phone to link to Lee's WIP wednesday

bookcases for my stash

I let Ralph pick out the bookcase since its going to be showing off my fabric in our dining room.

My husband has good taste... usually his taste is much pricier than i feel comfortable spending on myself....

lol... i was perfectly happy with the billy shelves but he picked this:

with the promise that we would get one of these to go on each side (after we get zippys open)

(yes i cheated and used ikeas photos)


but here it is... built and starting to collect my fabric...

I really do love it and he really did spoil me with this one!

I picked this up at a yard sale for 30 bucks last weekend!! I love it and this is one heavy peice of furniture. I bet it weighs more than the bookcase from ikea! It is now my dresser in our bedroom! I also got a desk that is in the living room now for 7!

I would be really happy with how our apartment is coming together if i had a couch, but... we haven't found one we both agree on that we want to spend the money on. '

Now... that pic of me.. since 2 weeks before the wedding, i have put on 25 lbs. We stopped working 14 hr days, we are on our butts all day mostly and we are eating out like there is no tomorrow!

Today we hired a personal trainer for the two of us and we start tomorrow at 7 am! We don't want to be heavy like this and i dont know if i COULD pull a 14 hour shift with this extra weight!

Just Three

Tracyjay Quilts has started Just Three, a linky thing where you can pick just three goals for the month, blog about them and check in next month to see how you did. Well since im too busy for much sewing and have not been checking in with WIP Wednesday... let me get a restaurant open and I might go back to that too... i do think i can pick three goals for 1 month!

So... this month my 3 goals are (I promise to get better at picking just three, this month it was really tough so i kinda lumped some together to make one goal!)

1. finish the three quilts i brought to finish. Bottom: (Travis' star)I just need to hand sew the binding and i have been watching enough tv this should be done! Middle: (Flower Garden) I need to quilt it and bind it and i can send it off to who its intended for!! Top: (Granny Squares) borders, quilt and bind but this is Ralph's favorite so far (and i love that he says "so far" knowing that im going to make more that he loves) and he has asked several times when im going to finish it so we can use it.

#1 is pretty intense... so the other two goals are kinda minor.

2. finish squaring up the blocks for Soar. I hate this part of the process and i just have a small pile left to do. Don't tell me that im going to have to make more blocks after this and do more!! (I think I am... when will it ever end??)

Everytime i slow down and want to stop working on this i lay out some of the squares and fall in love again... Hopefully finishing this one will make next months goals!

3. organize the sewing stuff. I have decided that the wall in our dining room is going to be the fabric and sewing storage space. I want to buy bookcases with doors on them. (for now im just getting the bookcases and as i figure out what doors i want i will get them!

I want this from Ikea (and omg... im so excited i live in Houston now and can go to Ikea!!)

cant you just see my stash in the cd part of this bookcase with books and decorative things in the bigger spots???  I may put doors on the bottom half of it so i can hide my not so pretty storage stuff!  I think this will work. Then i want some kind of coffee table with storage. I am going to have to use that for my vintage sheet collection. We have enough room in our walk in closet to hang my plaid shirt collection!! so yeah, the sewing room will be scattered around the apartment but when im creating my sewing is scattered around the apartment!

The next two months will be interesting as i try to stuff our 2500 sq ft house into our 1200 sq ft. apartment. We have decided we will be in Houston for a couple years and we are going to rent out the place up there (most likely for very little rent to one of his kids) so I have to move everything down here!


Here is Tracyjay's linky thing... be sure to go check out other folks progress and goals! I actually missed the party this time... but i will be sure to catch it next month!

Our Houston Home

I have missed sewing. With the wedding and the traveling back and forth to houston these last couple months i haven't touched my sewing machine. Dont get me wrong, i have enjoyed the trips and the eating out (we went on a culinary tour of the world in houston... and i gained 15 lbs) I have enjoyed the time, the wedding was wonderful and happy and perfect in every way... ive enjoyed myself... but... i have missed sewing.

So here is the update on life. We have rented an apartment and a restaurant space and we are opening another Zippy's Pizza in Houston!! woo hoo! we are so excited. We plan to open August 15th. We will go back and forth between San Augustine and Houston, so we still have the ranch up there... we just also live in houston now. Ralph's daughter Caty is running the store in San Augustine... its doing fine and shes doing a good job... all is well there. We will be running this store and over the next year hope to open 2 additional stores! (if you are familiar with Houston the new restaurant is on Jones Rd. just north of 1960 and we would love for you to come see us!!)

today Ralph and I along with a friend tore down drywall. We are doing some cosmetic stuff and cleaning the place REALLY well before we open and put our equipment in there. we will put the drywall back up on monday. (we have to go north for the next two days)

But... sewing... i dont have the best pictures... but here are a couple of the new apartment. First, our bedroom is a loft style, it has a balcony that looks over the livingroom. How perfect is this to hang a quilt from!! Here is the unfinished granny squares hanging over...

second picture i have to share... we haven't brought much furniture down yet, so the apartment is kinda empty... but i did bring a table and chair home from the restaurant so that i could set my sewing machine up and have a place to sit at the computer. Here it is in the dining room...

ok, also note the BIG MIRRORED wall. This mirror is going to cause me to lose weight because i can't get to the kitchen without seeing myself in it. I am amazed every time i walk by it because i dont FEEL that overweight (although i do know i am!) So, between the puppy walks in the morning, the pool which i enjoy working out in and the exercise room in the apartment complex... hopefully i will be talking about the weight im losing soon.

I'm married!!!

There were many times we said we should have eloped and went on vacation with the money!!! but in the end it was a beautiful wedding and the reception was a blast.

I am giddy still... and very proud to be Mrs. Ralph Hampton.

Time to head to the border!

No... were not going to Mexico...i just have a ton of borders to put on so i can finish some quilts. I don't know what it is about borders, my second least favorite thing to do (after squaring up hst blocks) is borders.

But... Drum roll please..... Happily Ever After is in one piece and ready for borders. Granny squares has a name, its Happily Ever After since I'm going to give it to Ralph as a wedding gift. I am planning a little tan border then some blue that he likes for the outer border.

I did finish the borders of ___'s Flower Garden. (Since she reads my blog i cant put her name here because its a gift and i don't want to ruin the surprise.) I am going to pin it and quilt it this weekend and hopefully have it in the mail soon (and yes i have more than one person who reads my blog that is due for a gift that i would mail, so i didn't ruin the surprise!) I like how the borders turned out. Ralph actually gets the credit for the border selection. I was going to just do the blue but he told me before i even got it on that it would need a brighter border after that and he was exactly right.

Landon and Trevor's Paw Paw Kisses... oh boy... have we seen these before. I have had them finished other than borders since before Christmas and i swear i will not work on, hmm start another quilt till i get these borders on! lol... i really do need to finish them.

What else is still in the works...

Travis' Star... I did a little of the hand binding but not alot. Its the first of the month so that means were busier than usual. The 2nd and 3rd week... that's when I'm looking for projects to do while at work!

Stephanie's Stars... totally put on hold due to my granny square fever.

Dallas' soar.... I'm still working on squaring up blocks. I am seeing progress on the pile.. in fact i think the squared pile is bigger than the pile i have to do yet!

Orange Crush.... I started this a while ago for myself and decided it needs to be one that i work on again soon. We went to the beach last weekend and i decided i need a good beach blanket and Orange Crush is gonna be it.

Ok... so there are about 6 or 7 others that I'm working on... but i think if i go on i will overwhelm myself... so we will stop here. Hopefully i will have more progress next week.

One thing getting in the way of the quilting progress is we have been spending the weekends doing research. We need to open another store and we are looking for a location for it... or we may do something totally unexpected and crazy... but either way, although we are making money with the one store, we both would like to make more! (and were workaholics)

Last weekend we went to Crystal Beach or Boliver Peninsula and looked around. It was hit by a hurricane in 09 and we were hoping it had rebuilt more than it has. I also wish it had more of a "town square" than it does. I don't think that is what were looking for so next weekend were going on another fact finding mission somewhere else... not sure where... We will have our minds made up by the time of the wedding... that's all we have decided so far. (still... its taking alot of my quilting time... Sundays were my days to sew and i don't get to do that when were hitting the road!)

Just have to throw this in here too... i decided to get adventurous with a dessert at the store. This is my Mexican Mocha Cake:

I haven't perfected the recipe yet... but when i do I will share. Its baked like a cheesecake... but it has no cheese and no flour in it. (but it does have a touch cayenne to make it interesting!)
I'm linking up to Freshly Pieced WIP Wednesday. Be sure to go check out other lovely works!

Love

I admit im obsessive.

There are times I cant make myself quit cutting and sewing.....

I cut and i sew....

Dishes pile up... dust bunnies collect....

its a process of selecting fabrics.... pulling out scraps... staring at it all together...

and i cut some more and sew some more....

My poor doggies have to look pitiful for me to pull myself away to feed them.....

and then i sew and i sew......
I admit i dont sleep... i sometimes get up at 3 am to cut.... and sew....

Ralph feels neglected, and worried.... and sometimes even jelous.....  but i still sew and sew.....
and really he should be jelous...

because its all in anticipation of this momment....

when i fall in love!

Ive been working on my granny squares for about 2 weeks.... obsessively. Last week i started sewing them together and it was love at first sight!!

I started this one for myself but had contemplated gifting it to someone else... nope... sorry... i need another quilt for my bed and im claiming this one! It is from my red and blue scraps and chunks. (and i still have a big ole healthy pile of each color! The tan fabric were curtains in my guest room that had seen better days. I used 2 1/2" squares and since i hate messing with setting squares im doing this in strips instead. It will be a queen size quilt and there are 81 granny squares in all!

but beeeeep... we put this quilt on hold to bring you this!!!
since i needed a gift for someone... this is what i did over the long weekend! I have some borders to add yet before i quilt it... im hoping to have it done next weekend. (SuzyQ is saying aww mom, cant i have it... its so purdy!)

This one was a challenge in that i decided i couldn't use a solid and i was going to try to put fabrics together that matched, and once i got going I had to stick with florals... so yes... they are all florals! All the fabric is from my stash and i kinda grabbed as i went along... not alot of planning! Ill get some more shots once i quilt it. I think it looks kinda eastery. Ralph's daughter Caty (who is the artist in the family) said wow, your colors actually go together instead of all over the place. lol... i like my all over the place scrappy quilts, but i did try to challenge myself to match this time (and not be red and blue!)

I also prepared the binding for this one... will work on it when were slow at zippys.

OH! we also hosted a wedding at my house!! Congratulations Buck and Sharon. They were married Saturday in my backyard (that was kinda unexpected... they had to change their wedding to our back yard on friday night!! yikes!) But, we were more than happy to host it.. they have a beautiful family and i couldn't be more proud of them.

Im linking up with freshly pieced Work in Progress Wednesday. Be sure to go check out the other great WIPs!