i have to say...

This page is under construction.  Will be ready soon....:)

friday things...

Doesn't it make you happy to see the new growth on the trees just waiting to burst open in spring?  It does me!

Well, it seems that a Sewing Seeds project for Haiti is in order!   I will post more information next week once I talk to my friend and get a few more details.  Thanks for all of your support and helping hands that make this possible!

I don't know if I mentioned this, but I will answering all questions about the quilt-along in the comments section of those posts.  Everyone is invited to answer questions and encourage others, so don't feel like it has to be just me.  If you want to say something, go for it!  Also, you might want to check out the flickr group to see the progress of some of the quilters.  There are some lovely fabrics ready to be cut up next week!

Well, I am off to start my weekend.  We have never homeschooled on Fridays so we always have 3-day weekends. I am spoiled, I know!

Enjoy!

let's hear it for the girls!

Aubry has a little friend with fiery red hair and the cutest personality ever!  They love to be crafty together.

The last time she was over they built a "craft hut" and made paper flowers for their weddings.  So much coloring and cutting and talking and giggling was going on.  Too cute in a mommy's ears.

A bit later I went to look for them and couldn't find them anywhere.  Front yard, back yard, bedroom, nowhere.

Is it just me who tends to get a little panicky went a kid can't be found?

Lucky for me, Aubry has ears that tune into the mommy's screeching voice and she heard me calling. 

The girls were in the garage.

The had constructed a pretty elaborate beauty salon.

Complete with a rack of purses and jewelry for sale.

All of this on Craig's super-manly, super-sized weight set.

Our little friend's dad arrived about that time (thank goodness I knew where they were!) and Kayleigh came running out, gave him a big hug, and then promptly turned around to show her daddy her new shiny, super-soft hair (that was her description).

Girls.

Gotta love 'em

are you up for this???

I have a good friend who has a cousin living in Haiti as a missionary.  They are located right at the earthquake's epicenter.

My question is whether or not a "sewing seeds" skirt project might be in order for the little girls in this area.  How many will be able to participate?  If you are interested please leave a comment and I will let you know what I decide.

***Sewing Seeds is a project that I occasionally organize here on my blog to collect and distribute handmade skirts to little girls in areas where there is need.  Africa and Costa Rica are two places we have sent skirts to.  In the past we have also included shorts for the boys, but we may stick to the skirts this time.  Let me know what you think.

This mission serves a meal to approximately 100 children every day, so the need is great.  There is a possibility that some missionaries will be able to transport the skirts to Haiti at some point, or I will have to also ask for a little help with postage (I will contribute too, but I don't think I could manage the whole amount by myself).  Of course, if we have to mail the skirts it will take a while before that can happen because of the devastation in that area.

So, what do you think?

Should we do it?

I am leaning towards YES.  :)

On the Road to Spring quilt-along (week one: choosing and preparing your fabrics)

Welcome to week one of the On the Road to Spring quilt-along! 

Over the next six weeks we are going to be working towards make a quilt together (the finished quilt size is approximately 60" X 50"--a lap quilt).  Anyone is invited to join in at any time.  The posts will stay up so that if you fall behind or join in later, you can find the information you need.

This is our schedule:

week one--January 25th: choosing and preparing your fabrics

week two--February 1st: cutting the pieces for the quilt (all squares and rectangles)

week three--February 8th: sewing your quilt top together

week four--February 15th: assembling your "quilt sandwich"

week five--February 22nd: machine quilting

week six--March 1st: binding your quilt

If you would like to join the Flickr group, please click here.  Flickr is free and simple to use, and it will be the perfect place for showing off your progress and discussing quilt-making.  (Joining the Flickr group is optional, but I do recommend it).

This week we will be choosing and preparing fabrics.  Basically, this week is as simple as it gets.  Plus it is just plain fun to buy sewing supplies, don't you think?

This is the list of fabrics you will need (feel free to wait on the binding and backing if you need to, but if you have the money, buy it now so that the store won't run out of a fabric you love).

For the quilt top: 1/3 yard pieces of 10 different prints (for the rectangles)3-1/3 yards total

                               2 yards of a solid/neutral fabric (for the squares)

For the binding: One yard of a coordinating print

For the backing: Three yards of a coordinating print

For the batting: Two yards of 90" wide Warm and Natural batting (You won't need this for a few weeks so you can wait until it goes on sale at your local quilt store or try using the Hobby Lobby coupon).

This is my stack of prints (be sure to post yours in the Flickr group):

Also, you will need to gather these supplies at some point:

rotary cutter, ruler and mat

thread to match your fabrics (I almost always use beige or white)

sewing machine

free-motion foot for the quilting (about $10)

scissors

pins

If you need to some advice on choosing fabrics, click here.

Once you have made your purchases or raided your stash, you can get to the preparing part of your fabrics. 

It's simple. 

Just unfold your fabric and toss it in the washing machine with some detergent and fabric softener and wash on the normal or gentle cycle.  You can machine-dry your fabric, but I always line-dry mine.   I also never machine-dry my finished quilts because the colors last longer and the fabric doesn't deteriorate.

When your fabric is dry you can iron it on a cotton setting.  This is honestly the only time you will ever find me with an iron in my hands.  The smell of freshly-washed fabric being ironed is just wonderful, if you ask me.

Now fold your lovely stack and set it aside. 

And, believe it or not, that's it!  When you finish these things, you are all set for week two.  Now you can relax and imagine what those fabrics are going to become.  You can also grab a cup of coffee and feel good about accomplishing something.

See you next week!

***IF I HAVE FORGOTTEN SOMETHING, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I WILL EDIT THIS POST.

update on my friend's sister

It is with great sadness that I am writing this post.  My friend's sister's body was found on Saturday.  There is no word yet on what happened to her, but her family is comforted by the fact that she is with God.  There was never a moment when she wasn't in His hands.  Not one single moment.

What a blessed thing to know.

Please continue to pray for Ruth and her family.

shop notes: simply sweet and sew much detail

Simply Sweet is new in my shop!  These adorable prints in four colorways are perfect for quilting, crafting and just adding to your stash. 

They are too cute!

Sew Much Detail is a wonderful little Etsy shop specializing in Wristlet Keychain Key Fobs and Lanyard ID Badges made from bright, designer fabrics.  What a fun way to add a little bit of color to your day! 

This is the one I will be wearing on my wrist while I run this spring/summer.  It will be quite a step up from my keys thrashing about in my sweatshirt pocket!

You can check out the shop here.

Have a great day!

thankful for...

...kids who still like to bake cookies with me, the taste of oatmeal cookie dough, friends who trust in God during really hard times, daughters who invite me to the movies and dinner, a hubs who works hard, the weekend coming up, friends who make me laugh, the Bible, cars that work, witnessing the efforts to raise money for Haiti, wonderful customers, a smile in my heart most of the time, and so many other things.

sometimes it just feels good and right to list things that i am thankful for.

what about you?  what makes you smile today?

have a lovely day!

learning new things

This picture suggests that I need to come up with a more flattering kitchen apron, don't you think?

Yesterday Emily and I made soap again.  We have done it a few times so far, in the hopes of her starting a business.  This time we tried adding honey and oatmeal.  It frustrates me that we have to wait 24 hours to see if it comes out right.   I want it now!

The process is still a bit nerve-wracking for me because of that lye.  It's dangerous stuff so I am constantly checking, checking, checking that everything and everybody is safe.  Apparently if you misuse it, skin can come off.  Yikes!  It's amazing that we use it to make something to bathe with.

Aubry begged to be a part of things so I let her join in, suited up for safety about 10 feet away from it all.  She felt the need to document what was happening:

Hmmm.....wonder who she gets that from?

the countdown begins.....

It is exactly one week from the start of the "On the Road to Spring" quilt-a-long!  (A special thank-you to Jenny for coming up with that name!) 

Most of the final details are in this post and if you are shopping online for your fabric, you may want to get it soon.  If you have a local quilt-shop, waiting isn't a big deal since the first week is VERY easy!  If you end up getting your fabric a bit late, no worries since the first two weeks are actually pretty easy and non-time consuming, so it would be a cinch to get caught up quickly.

I have set up a special listing in my shop here in case you want to buy from me, but please feel free to shop wherever you want to.

You are going to need a rotary cutter, mat and ruler to cut your fabrics.  (If money is an issue, you can make a pattern for the squares and rectangles--this will be very simple!--and cut them out that way, but rotary cutting is ideal.  Pattern cutting will leave you with pieces that aren't quite "squared".)  Joann Fabrics has a Fiskers set here ,a Dritz set here and a coupon here (promo code TEW30) which will bring the price down to about $29.00 for those sets.  (I use Fiskars and I love it, but I have friends who like Dritz better.)  If you are planning on continuing with quilting, you will be glad you made this purchase.

Here are the final yardage measurements:

For the quilt top: 1/3 yard pieces of 10 different prints (for the rectangles)

                               2 yards of a solid/neutral fabric (for the squares)

For the binding: One yard of a coordinating print

For the backing: Three yards of a coordinating print

For the batting: Two yards of 90" wide Warm and Natural batting (You won't need this for a few weeks so you can wait until it goes on sale at your local quilt store or try using the Hobby Lobby coupon).

Our first week of the quilt-along will be about buying and preparing your fabrics, so feel free to wait until then to buy.

I started a Flickr group here.  This is where we will be posting pictures and discussing making our quilts.  I wanted to put this in a forum where everyone can participate.  When questions are asked, anyone can jump in and take part in the discussion.  You do not have to join the group in order to do the quilt-along, but Flickr is simple and it costs nothing join, so please consider it.

Christine has been kind enough to make up a sidebar button for the quilt-along. If you would like to use it just grab the code underneath the one on my sidebar.  If you have questions about inserting it into your own blog, please mention that in the comments and maybe someone will be able to offer help.  Computers and their complexities are not understandable to me.

I have a feeling that I am forgetting to add something here, so I may be edited this post as the day goes on.

Have a great Monday!