Finishing Projects

How's everyone doing with finishing old projects? I've been working all day long on some little projects for next weekend's Buggy Barn/Halloween class, and I finished the most time-consuming part just a few minutes ago--some simple stitcheries. I can't show you just yet, but I'll share a photo or two next weekend after the class. I've added those to my list of things to finish in August--I had actually started these sometime in June or July, but I just limped along on getting them done until now that the pressure's on.

I know several of you love embroidery and I noticed I was having some trouble with my black floss "shedding" all over the muslin background. I thought it might be caused by my needle, so I changed needles but it didn't seem to make any difference. I'm using Presencia floss and I know lots of stitchers like it but I'm not too sure. What do you use and like?

I finally settled on the fabric I'm planning to use for the Hocuspocusville project.

I really like this Spook- tacular line. The black and white fabric on the left will be used for the outside border; the cream colored fabric is background; and the orange swirls with bats, etc., will be used for setting the 9-patch blocks in the center. I also got two charm packs for those 9-patch blocks. This is one of the reasons, though, why I'd like to find some black floss that doesn't shed.

I found myself thinking today about the Thimbleberries Hometown Christmas quilt I was working on a year or two ago--remember that one? There were several of us who were going to get that done, and I think only one or two managed to actually DO it. I've added that one to my sidebar list too, although I don't know when I'll get to it. I DO really like that quilt though.

I never did hear from the winner of the #2 pattern giveaway, so I've drawn another name--Nancy from Blogging, Near Philadelphia! Come on DOWN, Nancy! Woo-hoo! Email me your address and I'll send these out next week. The other patterns went in the mail on Friday--by the way, if you're a winner and receive a package from a law firm, that's just me--don't freak out. I printed the addresses at work and the printers automatically add the firm name and address.

Tomorrow (Sunday--which is really today, but I need to sleep first!) I need to do some housecleaning and some Sweat Shop cleaning--I'll sort out something--books, scraps, or magazines, I suspect--and come up with another giveaway, I'm sure! And tomorrow night, I'll draw a winner for the little wool kit, so make sure you come back to visit! And if you're in my sidebar for the August challenge, let me know if you post anything you've finished on your blog--we'd really like to see it!

Fame and Fortune!

I'm back this morning and feeling much better after a good night's sleep! First of all, I'd like to welcome all my new blog readers from Ireland and elsewhere. Turns out I'm famous now. Huh, imagine that! I'll try not to let it go to my head.

I suspect most of you have no idea what I'm talking about, and that's just fine because I'm going to tell you. The other day, I had a comment from Micki at Irish Muses congratulating me--she, and I, and another blogger are highlighted in an article in the fairly new quilt magazine, Irish Quilting. You can visit Micki and check out what she says about the article HERE.

I told Hubby that my blog was mentioned in Irish Quilting, and when he wondered why, I told him they'd probably discovered that he--a man of Irish descent--washed his wife's quilt with something wine red that bled all over the quilt and thought it worth writing about as a cautionary tale. I don't think he's buying it though. In the meantime, he's told his Irish-American family the news, and everyone's quite proud. The only thing is, I have no idea really what the article says. I've checked out a couple sources for sale of the magazine here in the U.S. but nothing so far.

The author of the article, Anne Marie, has a blog also, American Quilter in Ireland, and over the last couple years, we've exchanged a few emails on occasion. She has a lovely B&B in Ireland that I'd love to visit someday and now she's starting her own quilt shop! I'm quite honored (not to mention surprised!) that she would mention my blog in her article.

So, there's the "fame" part of this post; now for the "fortune."

A week or two ago, Kim Walus, designer and Moda Bake Shop contributor extraordinaire, had a giveaway of a little "Charmed Bag" she designed and demonstrated on the Moda Bake Shop site, and it turned out I WON!

Kim's blog is Bitty Bits & Pieces, and she always has good stuff to read about. I've "stolen" her charmed bag photo off her blog because it's a nicer photo than mine--

Isn't it darling? You can make your own if you go on over to the Moda Bake Shop and check out her directions. Here's a photo of what she sent--you can see the bag and the charm pack, but she also sent some lovely "treats" from Utah--caramel corn and two Utah truffle bars (mint and raspberry). Yum! THOSE will keep my energy level up through August when it comes to getting stuff done! THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH, KIM! Yep, I'm surely fortunate!

Are you tired of hearing about ME yet? Me too! And if you've stuck through this post this long--and if you stopped by this morning only to find my poor excuse for a post last night--you deserve a chance to win a reward.

Bearpaws & Hollyhocks makes up monthly wool projects and here's the project for August (again, I stole a photo--this is from Pam's blog because I haven't made mine yet).

Would you like to win this little kit? I bought an extra one just for you! Leave me a comment telling me you want to be entered in the drawing, and I'll put your name in. I'll be drawing late tomorrow (Sunday) and will announce the winner on my Sunday night/Monday post, so this will be a quick one. Good luck!

Missing in Action Tonight, But . . .

We had a nice dinner tonight with my sister-in-law, but about an hour after eating, I started feeling ill. No one else felt ill--it wasn't the food, it's ME! I have things I wanted to talk about tonight too, but I'm going to bed instead. I'll try to post early-ish on Saturday, but not TOO early because it IS Saturday, and I'm sleeping in if I can!

P.S.: I just added Becky to the sidebar and she has some eye candy over at her blog to look at, so you didn't stop by here for nothing! Go take a look.

Three For Me!

Yes, another finish! This is the quilt top I made from Kaye England's Back Home Again BOM pattern using the Ellery line of fabric--it looks like ice cream or sherbet, doesn't it? Yummy! Although I have it laid out on my king size bed, it really fits a queen--our "spare" bed is a double, and I think it will be just fine on it once I get it quilted someday.

Enough about me though. Did you see how many bloggers are listed in the sidebar as participants in the Finish it in August challenge? I'm pretty excited so many of us are getting things done!

Paulette has been busy--go on over and take a look! She's got her own special name for this challenge though--she's calling it the "Sucking My Will to Live" Challenge. She says it's nothing personal, so presumably she isn't accusing ME of sucking her will to live--I think it's just the mounting pile of UFOs that are getting to her.

Sara has joined in the challenge, and she's identified a few things she wants to get busy working on. You might want to cheer her on--we all need the encouragement, don't we?!

Carol is trying to get something quilted every day--WOW! She still has binding to add, but she's gotten a few table runners quilted and they're looking great!

Anna has also been busy. She's been identifying some of her UFOs, trying to use some of her stash, and working on projects that have been hanging around for way toooooo long!

The weekend is nearly here and I have plans for getting some things done, although a good part of that time will be spent getting ready for a class I'm teaching the following weekend--A Frightfully Crazy Halloween Party at Bearpaws & Hollyhocks.

It's time for me to get off the computer and get a couple blueberry cobblers out of the oven. Want to come by for coffee and cobbler? If you're too far away, click on over to Nancy's blog for her Sticka Buttah Cobbler--that's the recipe I used tonight and it's super quick and simple to make.

Now, go forth and make beautiful things and I'll see you back here soon!

Da Rulz

Rules. I don't like them.

A couple people asked me today about the rules for joining in my little Finish it in August program. Not many, really. All I ask is that you have a desire to get some quilty stuff done that's been sitting around WAAAAAAY too long, and if you're so inclined, do something about getting rid of anything you don't want or need any longer. Of course, giving things to charitable groups is ALWAYS a good idea, but it's also kind of fun to give stuff to other bloggers, so I'd encourage giveaways too.

I mentioned a couple days ago that I'd consider a "finish" to be either getting something completely done or, with a larger quilt, getting a top (or flimsy) completed. And, although I won't require it, it would be kind of nice if you'd "share" your finishes on your blogs so we can all oooooooh and aaaaaaah at your accomplishments. And--if you'll let me know you've posted a finish (OR A GIVEAWAY!)--I'll post something on my blog and link to yours.

Simple, huh?

And despite the fact that I won't be wielding a stick, I DO have a carrot or two. At the end of August, those bloggers who have committed to getting stuff done--the ones listed over there in the sidebar--who have finished three or more projects will be put into a drawing. The prizes? Whatever I don't get done in August will be sent to the winner(s). Okay, NO, you're right--that's just me kidding with you again! But there will be some kind of reward for the winner or winners. And no, I'm not sure how many will win because I'm making this stuff up as I go--remember I don't like rules? But it will be good. I promise. At worst? You'll get something done in August. Cool, huh?

And for those of you who don't want to get anything done this month? Well, check in with me anyway because I'll be doing some giveaways of things I no longer want/need that are taking over the Sweat Shop. I'll be doing giveaways at least once a week, I think. Oh, and if I announced your name as a winner yesterday? Please email me your mailing address--so far I've only heard from Jess.

I'm glad you were able to stop by for a visit! Now GET TO WORK!

P.S.: Just after I wrote and posted this, I had an email from Carol, letting me know she'd posted what she's been working on. Pop over there and ooooooooh and aaaaaaaaah a bit over her cute projects!

Rollin', Rollin', Rollin' . . . .

Move 'em on, head 'em up
Head 'em up, move 'em on
Move 'em on, head 'em up
Rawhide!

By any chance, do you remember the old TV show Rawhide (with a young Clint Eastwood)? I keep hearing that theme music in my head whenever I think about getting stuff DONE this month. (At least it makes for a nice change from the usual voices in my head!) We have a pretty good number of bloggers sitting over there in the sidebar, participating in this particular quilting rodeo too! And for those of you playing along, what are you working on? I'll have to stop by to visit your blogs and see what's going on in your neighborhood and report back here.

Remember my quilt rack? Well, the oddest thing has been happening since I decided to grab hold of the reins of this runaway UFO Mobile and get stuff done. Here's how it looked when I came home from work today:

And this isn't the first time. In fact, it's the third time in the last couple days. Apparently Spike has decided to help me pick out projects by knocking them all onto the floor! Well, at least she's helped me figure out a few that I'd like to finish this month, and I've started a list in my sidebar.

No, no new finishes today. What did you say? Did I hear you ask what I'm working on? Well, remember the Back Home Again BOM quilt I was making with the Ellery line? THAT's what I'm working on. I should have something to show you in a couple days.

Now, you're probably wondering about the pattern giveaways, right? Here are the winners whose names were drawn at random:

Giveaway 1: Jess at Life in the White House

Giveaway 2: Donna D. of Hemet, California (no blog)

Giveaway 3: Gail (no blog)

Giveaway 4: Carol at Heirlooms for You

Ladies, if you'll click on my profile and then click on email, you can email me directly to give me your mailing address. I'll get these patterns in the mail to you this week! And if I don't hear from any of the winners by Friday, I'll pick a second place winner, so don't delay! I want to get these patterns out of here!

Move 'em on, head 'em up
Head 'em up, move 'em on
Move 'em on, head 'em up
Rawhide
Count 'em out, ride 'em in,
Ride 'em in, count 'em out,
Count 'em out, ride 'em in
Rawhide!

Another Finish!

Remember this quilt pattern? It's called Christmas List and the pattern is by Donna Yackey. I made this quilt top as a BOM at Bearpaws & Hollyhocks and finished the applique blocks around October or November, I think. Then the holidays started to interfere with normal life, and although I got the blocks together and the borders on, I hadn't added the appliqued gingerbread men in the corners.

Well, I've carried this quilt top around since the holidays, and in those several months, I managed to applique on two of the eight gingerbread men. Yesterday evening, I finally sat down in the Sweat Shop, got everything out that I needed, and started appliqueing. I finished around 12:30 a.m.

Isn't it funny how so many of us seem to collect these silly little unfinished projects? Since this top is now done, I can roll it up for pinning and quilting later--but not TOO much later! AND--and this is kind of exciting to me--I can FINALLY put away all the cottons and wools I had separated out for this specific project. Woo-hoo! Not only did I finish a project, but I was able to tidy away a small part of the Sweat Shop where that particular fabric lived for so long.

I really love this pattern, and I know some of you have already purchased it. If you haven't and wonder where you can find it, scroll down in my sidebar until you come to the part that says Sources for Purchasing Patterns . . . . If you click on Christmas List, it will take you to the Bearpaws & Hollyhocks website. Give them a call--if they don't have it in stock right now, they can probably order it for you pretty quickly.

Clean Out/Giveaway Alert!

Both Sheila over at The Second Twin Sews and Sandy over at Texan are sorting out and getting rid of some of their magazines. Need some new ideas? Click on over to their blogs and sign up to win one of their giveaways!

Okay, Let's DO IT!

You bloggers out there never fail to inspire me! Carol (of Carol's Crafty Creations) has posted a couple times recently about using what she has in her stash and not buying more for right now. She also recently had a scrap giveaway--what a great idea! So I looked around the Sweat Shop, and I got to thinking.

What IS this place?

How did it GET this way?

WHAT can be done?

That quilt rack in the photo above? Okay, I KNOW you can't actually SEE the quilt rack very well, but trust me--it's there under all that stuff. Well, that's pretty much where I stack things that are in progress. Quite a lot of things and not much progress, huh?!

So the FIRST thing I decided is to devote as much of August as I can to finishing things up. I'll keep a list in my sidebar of "finished" projects. Would you like to join me in getting things finished this month? I'll also keep a blog list in my sidebar of those of you who are determined to get a few of those UFOs finished during August.

And here's what I'm defining "finished" as: For smaller projects (i.e., table runners, bags, pillows, etc.), "finished" means all the way completed--done and ready to enjoy. For larger projects such as large wall hangings and quilts, "finished" may just mean the top is done, although you may not have gotten it quilted yet. Or, if you already have a top that's done, "finished" would be getting it quilted and bound. Make sense?

So, I'll count my hexagon quilt top as "finished" for this purpose. Now I'll roll it up and put it in my basket for quilting later.

I don't want to make this post too long, so I'll tell you in another post what else I have that I'd like to "finish" in August. I'll also tell you about a little contest idea I have for those of you who join in--a little incentive, because we ALL need incentive, right?! So stay tuned!

The SECOND part of what I want to do this month is get rid of some things I won't use or have already used. What do I mean by that?

Each Sunday, I'll gather together some things I'd like to move OUT of the Sweat Shop and give you an opportunity to win/claim them for yourself. This week, I've cleaned out my patterns and I have four giveaways. Here they are:

I've tried to group these according to interest/ability to some extent. For instance, Giveaway 1 and Giveaway 3 would be great for those of you who are interested in applique. If any of these pattern lots look like something you'd like, leave a comment. And while I have no objection if you want more than one pattern lot, you'll have to leave a separate comment for each giveaway you want because I'll move your comments from my e-mailbox into a folder for each giveaway.

I will likely do the same type of thing later this month with books and scraps, so check back. I'll leave the pattern giveaway open until Tuesday night when I'll pick winners and announce them on Wednesday's blog post. Please note--YOU MUST COME BACK TO MY BLOG TO SEE IF YOU'VE WON and then email me your mailing address to claim your patterns if you're a winner. If I do not hear from you by Friday, I'll pick a second place winner, okay? [CONTEST CLOSED--WINNERS HAVE BEEN ANNOUNCED ON WEDNESDAY'S BLOG POST.]

Now, if you want to do the same thing--clean out your unused and unwanted quilting things via giveaways--let me know and I'll mention your blog on mine. No sense holding onto stuff we aren't using when there may be other quilters out there who would just love to have them, especially with the economy the way it is.

I hope by the end of the month to have a leaner, meaner Sweat Shop, and what isn't yet finished, can come with me to quilt camp in September. After that, I know I'm going to start getting busy with holiday crafting and quilting, so I want to get ready NOW! How about you?

Where Does the Time Go?

I've been working on the hexagon quilt today, and I've finally finished the quilt top--I think. Well, it's done UNLESS I think of something else I'd like to do, but I really can't imagine what.

Do you lose track of time when you're quilting? I've just realized it's 3:15 a.m., and I had no idea it was that late! Time to get to bed--there are more projects to tackle tomorrow!