Sew it up {WIP} Challenge

Lisa over at Vintage Modern Quilts is having a little Work In Progress challenge. List what you need/want to get done this month, either works in progress or things on your TO DO list. Work like crazy. Report back at the end of the month with how much you accomplished. I have a long list and so why not have the extra motivation? ( I was not able to put the little challenge logo here for some bloggity blog blog reason).


So here is my partial list (LOTS of pictures to follow)


Finish sewing this apron. Mostly Hoffman fabric that a friend chose and bought a few years ago (too many to remember) and asked me to sew for her.



Turn this Freebird fabric into an apron for a young teenager friend of mine. Switched out the ric-rac to a green one - I think.




Sew this Songbird fabric into an apron, for a different young teen friend.

Meadowsweet 2 fabric for yet another apron! Again for a friend, who has been waiting a long time for an apron from me.

I didn't post sooner because I was waiting for some packages to arrive so that my list would be complete. NO MAIL was delivered on Thursday. Well that just never happens so I asked hubby what the reason could be. He thought maybe it was because the plow had left a big berm of snow in front of our mailbox. Phooey on that! I was surprised that the mail carrier did not come to the door with the mail then. No notification or anything. Hubby cleared the snow that night.

Friday when hubby came home this is what he had for me. It was all in our box along with the regular mail!! Can you believe that all fit in the mailbox?? It's a good thing it was all fabric and didn't mind if it was folded and mangled just a bit.

Packages with return labels from Over the Rainbow, Today's Quilting, Desperate Quilters, Beaver Creek Quilt Company, Cotton Charm Quilts and an Etsy seller. I was so excited that they were all home that I didn't even open them up that night. I just enjoyed the pile of parcels. All addressed to me.

But finally I did open them and they contained such lovely fabrics.

Bliss for a Christmas apron for a little girl that lives somewhere in CA. Her mom and I are online friends.

Fandango for a border for a quilt - that will be an AFTER Christmas project, but on the list for this month.

This fun Alexander Henry 2D Zoo fabric, along with the Riley Blake dots will be made into two pillowcases for the brothers of the two teen friends that are getting aprons. I never know what to make for the boys. They are also young teens but I'm hoping they get a kick out of the quirky animals. The Terry Atkinson zippers are for some purse projects that probably will not get done this month.

Some Michael Miller Lil Plain Jane fabric also but I can't for the life of me get the picture to load, for a Christmas apron for another little girl. I think she lives in Wisconsin or Illinois. Another friend from cyberspace. The fabric I'm using for the reverse side has not arrived yet. (MORE MAIL!)


HOPEFULLY I will get to use some of this;

to at least get a flimsy done in time for Christmas.

Whew! All of that is on my list and there are a couple of things that I can't even show you here! :0 Yeah, so do you wonder why I'm even on the computer at all?? I do.

Inclunded in the mail but not part of my WIP challenge;
Martinique dots and some Mettler thread. There is also a charm square that they included with my order. This is slated for something but not anything that needs to be done this month.

Finally,in the pile of mail was this from Kelly at Cotton Charm Quilts. I won this in a drawing on her blog. No plans for it for this month. I'll be looking around for ideas though.

Sorry about the wonky spacing and such on this post. Blogger just does not want to cooperate with me tonight. I need to get back to my sewing machine.

Praise - Open House where hubby works went VERY WELL today! College Boy did great on a recent presentation and his latest film assignment.

Prayers - Finals! Tests, projects, papers.

Ya gotta love MAIL like this!

Not bills or grocery ads or bank statements or even the latest from Netflix, no this is the GOOD STUFF!
Here are some of the wonderful things I have gotten in my mailbox in the past few weeks:
From one of Quilt Taffy's Thursday giveaways;

a cute little zippered bag that I won from Tickled Paisley for the SEWN giveaway;

A little pouch from Sue in Australia for the SEWN giveaway (it fits my camera PERFECTLY!);

The following was from Kelly at Charming Chatter, she was cleaning out her stash and was sooooo generous in giving four boxes like this to gals that participated in the quiltalong by posting progress over at her blog. Here is the bulging and very heavy box;

and here is what was stuffed inside that box;

Mmmmmmmmmmmm, Shangri La - a favorite of mine but yet I didn't own any until now!

another line I have admired but didn't own. I could never decide on which prints to get!

Assorted MODA pinks - aren't they sweet?

yet ANOTHER line I have drooled over - Red,White and Bold;


Kelly was sooooo generous with her stash busting. There were assorted other prints in the box, most of them appear to be fat quarters or larger. It was like this box was packed just for me! I'm wondering what she has left in her stash if she got rid of 4 boxes of fabric like this! I wouldn't mind seeing the collections that the other gals received. Thanks so much, Kelly!!

Praise - we've had some more interest in the house we have for sale, a couple from TX came to look at it this week.

Prayers - for my hubby, college girl and son and friends that have gone backpacking today and will be back tomorrow evening.

A Few Things That Make Me Smile

On Saturday my son came home and brought me a big envelope. Strange, I didn't order anything. Then I looked at the return address and saw it was from my friend in Maryland. Look at what she sent to me, just to cheer me up and because she knew that I was trying so hard not to spend money on scrapping or sewing. There are red glittery alpha stickers (they remind me of the Ruby Slippers!) an assortment of chipboard shapes and alphas, stamps that will be perfect to use on greeting cards, some paisley emery boards and a notepad and some chipboard embellishments for scrapbooking. What a FUN envelope to open and it sure did make me smile. I can't wait to spend a day scrapbooking and use some of this! Thank you, dear friend!

* * * * * * *

Another package I got a week or so ago. This was from Victoria at Bumble Bean. I had entered a giveaway and this was a consolation prize! There is a Martha Negley print (on the left) and the print right is from a collection called Holly Hill. I am not sure who designed the middle print. Thanks so much!

* * * * * * *

Something I love to do is bake and although I certainly do NOT need to be eating the baked goods, I have a willing family (none of whom put on a pound no matter how much of the stuff they eat). I had been making different cookies lately and when the last of those were gone I asked my son what he wanted next. He said 'remember those filled cupcakes you made awhile back? Those would be good.' So last night, while the guys went for a 4wheeler ride I whipped up these.

( right after I piped the PBish filling into them)

(and here they are after I frosted them)

I was going to get all fancy and pipe the frosting on but I got tired and just wanted to be done.

* * * * * * *

Praise - I got back on the treadmill today! No more excuses!!! I walked for 60 minutes/3.25

miles.

Prayers - that I would get back on the treadmill tomorrow and the day after and the day after...

A flimsy at the end of the tunnel

I can see a flicker of a flimsy at the end of the tunnel! If I had gotten an earlier start today. If I had taken fewer breaks today. If it hadn't been so hot in my sewing room again today. If. If. If. I DID get all of my rows sewed together. I DID get all of my sashings and border strips sewed together. I could not bring myself to iron. It has cooled down in the room now but now I am tired. My plan is to iron all rows, sashings and bindings in the morning, then sew the sashings to the rows and iron again. Then I can sew the borders on. I will have achieved FLIMSY status!

I WAS going to post pictures of the tote bag that I made for the swap, since my partner received it. I WAS going to post a picture of the apron that I made for the swap, since my partner received it. Blogger will not allow me to upload any images. :( Says internal error. The apron IS up there in my slideshow now. Sorry. No pictures.

I love to get mail. While I was gone this weekend a couple of packages came. That was fun to come home to. Today I got a package from Quilt Taffy. The Line by Line (or Jam Bars) pattern, the Sewing Edge (which I used today...LOVE IT!) and a yard of an Allspice Tapestry fabric. Mmmmmm. My apron swap partner notified me that she has mailed my apron! WOOO HOOO! I can't wait to receive that package.

Prayers for my nephew and his bride, for their marriage - their future. Praise God for safe travel to and from the wedding. Prayers for my kiddos, as we left them in the big city with friends for the week.