Merry Christmas

We just arrived home from Minnesota and a wonderful Christmas together.  I will post some pictures tomorrow but I wanted to wish everyone a happy holiday.

That Polly

I just love going to Polly's blog and tonight she astounded me again with a tip on a Holiday Blog Hop and showing her darling mug rug.  Some people are a HOOT!
 http://thisandthatpatterns.typepad.com/thisandthatpatterns/2010/10/coming-soon.html

Colorful Scenery and Quilt Shops

In Morgantown this morning I found what I overheard a fellow quilter call "heaven".  It was Martin's Country Market and the Hayloft Fabrics .  Actually, there was a balcony loft all around the perimeter of the market and it had a most bountiful display of fabrics.  They do ship fabrics via their website.http://hayloftfabrics.com/  They had a special of 15% off the end of a bolt and I found a number of pieces that will help keep my stash healthy.  Then we traveled north west beyond Reinholds on Route 897 to Burkholder's Fabrics.  This was another amazing find.  I bought something special for my sister-in-law who is watching our dog while we meander the countryside.  They had panels like I have never seen before and fabrics of all sorts that were arranged by designer, color, etc.  We had a delicious lunch at the Brickerville House, Shoppes, and Family Restaurant and lo and behold, Vince found a yarn shop.  "Ball and Skein"  I bought a pattern and some yummy yarn to make Magdalyn a sweater and hat.  I knitted while Vince drove us north through the long ridges of Southeastern Pennsylvania.  I am making some Christmas presents which I will show later.  It was a very colorful day what with scenery and fabrics.

We've Got It Covered

Today we drove around the southern parts of Lancaster County and found a couple of the many covered bridges.  There is so much history in the woods, streams, rocks, and small villages.  I would have loved to have lived during the time of the Underground Railroad.  I certainly would have had a station in my home.  Vince got out and took some tremendous pictures.  We also visited the Choo Choo Station in Strasburg where I have ordered many a piece of Thomas trains.  It was quite relaxing riding in the fall scenery.  Shot the Depot in Lititz for my brother, John.

A Sweet Sunday

Vince and I were up very early again as he wanted to go to the antique malls over by Adamsville where he hoped to find some more saws and files for his workshop.  I am so glad he has a wood working hobby as it ofsets my fabric sins.  We went to three major sites.  The first had some very great deals on loads of items however, it has begun to get scarey when one calls "antique" something I had in my childhood.  There were over three hundred dealers inside and outside.  The second site was all outside and everything was "on sale".  We think it might have been the last of the major weekends for these dealers and the less "stuff" they had to box, the better.  I found a wicker head shape to display my knitted hats upon.  The third Antique Mall was very upscale and had some very beautiful furniture pieces.  Vince did find a "spoke shave" at this site and was quite happy.  All in all, it was a beautfiul day to walk and browse the treasures.

We came back to Hershey and went to Chocolate World which is very near where we are staying.  A family friendly spot with loads of little ones on this sweet Sunday.  I loved the figures adorning the building where we spent a brief amount of time learning about how chocolate is made.  Milton Hershey was a very benevolent soul.

Ballooning for the Quilter

Vince took me on an early balloon ride this morning while we are taking a brief rest in Pennsylvania.  It has always been a dream of mine to soar quietly above the earth and realize the beauty of God's creation.  What a morning it was and words cannot explain the wonder of the trip.  It was so awesome.  We had a clear, cool morning with hardly any wind.  We went over a mile high and could see the buildings of Philadelphia over sixty miles away.  At one point we could see the Delaware River and the edge of Chesapeake Bay.  Cool air means clear views.  What an experience!

Drum Roll Please

And the winner is Lisa at Unexpected Paths.  Scrabble Jack will have a wonderful new home.

Secret Santa Christmas Swap

I just received the name of my partner!  I am so excited and she is a very lucky lady.  I am certain our cat, Gracie will have to inspect the surprise as I make it.  Isn't she a sport!

Odds and Ends

I love fall and the color but I knew before I could buy anymore fabrics I needed to finish some UFOs.  The first picture is of the quilt that my daughter designed for her son and we finally finished.  She selected the fabrics last March and I finished the stitching now.  It was heavy to put on my regular sewing machine rather than my quilt frame but she wanted it to be stiched in the ditch with a zigzag like the other Pottery Barn quilt that is on the bigger bed in the same room.  I like the finished product and I wish Zachary many long warm nights of sweet dreams under this quilt.  The second piece is a runner for my friend's freezer.  I gave her a table topper last year and she asked for a piece to go on the freezer and another that is not finished.  I just love the color of the sunflowers and she is going to try to match paint to the red-orange to accent the walls in the room.  Finally, I have been knitting a small throw for my new baby granddaughter and it is finished.  I will take it to her next weekend when she is dedicated at church.  The color is bright and the yarn is a soft cotton.  An heirloom I hope.

My Giveaway

If you would like to win the pattern and kit with all the fixins' and fabric, just make a comment on this post.  I will draw a number for the post that wins by using random drawing.  Then I will e-mail you as the winner and ask for your mailing information.  Can you believe there are over 140 of us participating in this blog giveaway.  Would love to have you follow my blog if you are interested.  Good luck wining "Scrabble Jack"

Tomorrow

I will be posting my giveaway tomorrow.  I will draw from the people who comment on my blog.  If you love scrabble, you will love my giveaway!

Fall Into Fall Quilter Bloggers Giveaway

http://www.fall-into-fall.blogspot.com/

On October 1st I will post a picture of my giveaway for fall.  Please visit the website above if you wish to get involved.  You have until September 29th to participate.  Be sure to come on back on October 1st to participate in my giveaway.

Pillowcases

I have three made now and have cut enough for six more from my stash. This will be a great project and I hope we give a lift to many people.  Magdalyn is laying on the quilt I made for her this summer.  Her mommy picked out the fabrics.  It is really beautiful and so is SHE!

I am alive and busy!

If you want to hear about some of our activities, Sara keeps her blog up to date. I am excited about our latest project however. I finished the flyer today for advertising. Our project is called "Making a Case". We plan to make 400 pillowcases and give new pillows and cases to the people who come to the December Love Feast at the Methodist Church and to the people at the Safehouse and to the Abbott House. I made three pillowcases tonight and I ordered 5 buy one-get one free pillows at Kohls yesterday. We are asking for people to make cases, donate pillows or just donate money so all the worker bees can sew up the goods. We are calling it Pillows for People and using Matthew 11:28 as a verse - Come ye to me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I shall give you rest. I will try to take some pictures of the cases. I made one tonight with beautiful cowboy boots on the main fabric and put a batik topper that looked like leather. I made another with jungle animals and a zebra topper. We have a little over sixty days to accomplish this.

Blocks to Share

A group of us who are friends of education are making a quilt to raise money for the Community Foundation that supports scholarships for students from both public and private high schools in Mitchell. We selected the fabric called "Wildflowers" by Heather Mulder Peterson and I just love the colors. My block is a Jacob's Ladder and I believe my squares are all the right size this time and I even got one or two to be very close to "great". I am allergic to the work "perfect". I have all 13 done. The 12 of us will each take one and then put together the quilt for the foundation together. I think it will be quite special. I can tell because when I lay all 13 blocks out together, I like what I see.

Latest projects

First I wanted to show you the Kaffe Fassett finished on the bed. I love it.


Then I wanted to show you the darling purse I made out of little grandson worn out jeans. I was cutting some denim squares out of the legs but couldn't bear to waste the perfectly great pockets for cell phones, change, credit card holders and the like. I stitched across the bottom. Added a ruffle and some straps for handles. I think they would work for little or big girls. Plan to sell them at the Garage Sale in a couple of weeks.

I may not post but I read your blogs

So Busy! But I read everyday and love to see what others are doing. I know I am sucking it in and not giving any back. I will! In the meantime, wander over to http://the-quilt-shoppe.blogspot.com/ In Stitches and join in on their bingo fun. Hope you do!

A Stash Request

Many of you know that I am an educator. Actually my role at this point in my career is as an educational consultant working with administrators and teachers across South Dakota who are trying to improve the education and achievement of students. This week I am staying in Valentine Nebraska and traveling about 30 miles west and north to the Rosebud Indian Reservation to the St Francis Indian School. For a year now, my staff and I have been coaching teachers and I have gotten to know a beautiful Lakota woman who teaches in the school. Marion teaches beading, quilting, cooking, and it is evident she cares deeply for the students. She needs an iron and I plan to bring her one of mine from when we had two households. There are many warehouses that send their ends to schools like this but we all know what that fabric might be like. I don't have to reiterate the poverty found in this part of our country either. Sew in order for Marion to encourage her students and provide materials appealing to their eyes, I would like to request your help. She will use the fabric when school starts in the fall and having some projects and fabric to show students will help up recruit students to take the classes. What I would like to ask is for each of you to select a couple of fat quarters cluttering your stash (you don't have a real need for them now) and mail them to Marion. Let's call it "Fabrics For Fall". Please send this stash request on to others in blog land and who knows what they can do.
Mail your Fabrics For Fall to:
Marion Running Horse
PO Box 379
St Francis, South Dakota 57572-0379

If you pass this clip art on, then we can make big things happen!

Added color

Yesterday after the Saturday Sampler at the Pin Cushion, we celebrated Pam's birthday at the wonderful coffee shop down the block. Quilting friends are the very best. Of course some of us couldn't resist going back to the Pin Cusion to add to our fabric collection. I selected a dark brown to add as a border on the Kaffe Fassett quilt in the last post. I plan to quilt it with varigated thread and lay it upon a white coverlet on our bed. I think it will be quite stunning.
I also finished a wallhanging for the Minnesota boys with fish on it. I will take a picture when I return home with the binding hand stitched while I am away.
I also have almost finished a shrug made of alpaca yarn. I am planning to make some as Christmas gifts. They are absolutely gorgeous!
Meanwhile, I am having fun reading blogs.

This is UFO Monday for me

I purchased this fabric when I was in Chanhassen a few weeks ago. I just fell in love with the colors. Used a quick quilt pattern for a start and then added my own borders and white to strike up the band. This plays "WOW".

The ABCs of Me

Polly over at Aunt Polly's Porch had this entry on her blog and I thought it was a nifty way to get to know my cyber friend better. Enjoy this from me.
A- Age: 63 and loving life


B- Bed size: Queen, and I really love to get home and sleep in it


C- Chore you hate: washing windows but I love sparkling glass


D- Dog's name: Abbey (she is an English Cocker Spaniel, get it?)


E- Essential food/item: chocolate, prefer Snickers


F- Favorite color: periwinkle blue


G- Gold or silver: with bling bling it doesn't matter


H- Height: 5'1"


I- I am: not a morning person


J- Job: education change agent


K- Kids: son and daughter


L- Living arrangements: home was built in 1923 near the world's only Corn Palace


M-Mom's name: Carol


N- Nickname: DocSly (the baseball players from DWU gave me that)


O- Overnight hospital stay: too many to list


P- Pet peeve: people who can't make decisions


Q- Quote from a movie: "You had me at "hello"


R- Right or left handed: write right, pitch left


S- Siblings: 1 brother who is 9 years younger and very special to me

T- Time you wake up: up by the clock, wake about 10 am

U- Unique thing about your car: a Toyota with no runaway problem


V- Vegetable you hate: turnips, rutabaga, carrots, celery


W- Ways you run late: can't find my phones

X- X-rays you've had: again too many to list


Y- Yummy food you make: bean soup, pecan pie


Z- Zoo favorite: I don't like zoos!!!




That's ME- A to Z!! Your turn!!

Remember the Strings Challenge?

I have started another project with my scraps. I just loved the way these turned out. I just stitch them onto some muslin. I will be making wall hanging for the quilt room I think or maybe I will put them on the ceiling (LOL). I have two blocks done so far.

Winter Mini Swap

I found this wonderful batik fabric and decided it was just what I wanted for a focal piece in the mini swap quilt I was making for Megan. I used batiks for this and then added a beautiful varigated blue thread for the "Tracks in the Snow". I love the way it turned out and I hope she likes it.

These Boots Were Made for Warmth

I am so proud of my sister-in-law. She is just a quilting queen! She has completed her third king size quilt in one year. This one is various beautiful fabrics in squares that are boots. 11 piece boot square, by the way. We created a boot border complete with a bull dogger heel for the borders. The lasso design was created for the strips between the blocks. She quilted on my machine the last weekend of February when they came to visit. I just love it. Be certain to click and take a close look at the variety of prints she used.

Watch These Updates

I will start with my latest creation. First I will show you the view of our house from the street and the view outside my quilting room. Finally have some light coming through the skylight in my kitchen. It has been covered with a drift since two days before Christmas. These pictures inspired me to create a breath of spring from stash fabrics of florals. I love flowers and always have to pick up a fat quarter of something if it catches my eye. I needed this color to survive the last two weeks.

Fall Swap Mini Quilt

I just think this mini quilt is beautiful. Denise told me about how they have acorns on her hill and then her husband spreads corn for the wildlife to continue their presence in the fall. It is beautifully done and makes me excited to know if the person who received my mini quilt likes it as well. Swaps are fun.

Aunt Polly is having a blogversary

Bebop over to Aunt Polly's Porch! http://auntpollysporch.blogspot.com/2010/01/my-1st-blogaversary-givaway.html and read about her giveaway. Since I told you about it, I have two more chances to win. What a love prize package and if you follow her blog as I have, you will find she has some amazing ideas and wonderful things to share. It is worth you time.

This Land is My Land

I have been thinking about what a wonderful place this "blog" land is and I really look forward to the chance to read the blogs of people who are becoming my cyber friends. I watch for your posts, I marvel at your talents, and I begin to feel like I know you in some bit of a way. So here is my idea! I propose we make a quilted block of our choice and put a border around it so that the total size of the block is six inches. In other words, if your inside block is 4 inches then your border would be 2 1/2 inches so the total block would be 6 inches. If your inside block is 5 inches, then your border would be 1 and 1/2 inches to make an 6 inch square. On the border we will write our name and our location. I promise to mail a block to anyone who mails a block to me. I would just like to see how many friends I can collect in 30 days and from how many different places. The way you can get on board is to make a comment on my blog and send me an e-mail at docslyst@gmail.com. If you would like to send and recieve blocks from others just put your e-mail in your comment so that others can e-mail you with their intention. I will not mail one to you until you mail one to me with a return address. I will post a picture of my blocks tomorrow. I will e-mail my address to you after your comment. I hope to collect enough blocks to make a lap quilt to cover my lap when I am reading your blogs. Hope you join the fun and we will be done by February 18!

No Strings Attached

I have been "piecefully" following this blog and Stephanie has posted a challenge I must take. http://loftcreations.blogspot.com/
Yes, Sara, you know I am random abstract and sometimes I can't follow my nose. Off I go again.
To quote Loft Creations
*This is a personal challenge, not a swap*We make our blocks any size we want. *We can make any projects we want--tablerunner, quilt, clothes, pillows--whatever tickles our fancy--but they must be string projects*Make as many projects as your heart desires*You must use scraps or fabrics you already have. The only fabric you are "allowed" to buy is for border, backing, binding, lining if necessary and only if necessary. Remember this is a challenge to use what you have. Also you may need to purchase the muslin for the foundation.*Blog preferred but if you want to participate and are blogless be prepared to send me photos of your finished projects*Once we finish a project we share it on our blog and let me know...I'll keep a number total by your name.*Projects must be completed by June 30.
Now I don't think I am a "fabricolic" but I do have some stash! So I think this one is right up my alley.

I Have Been Working

I have too many projects going again. I need some serious self-discipline. I finished my Fall Swap and will be mailing it to a lucky lady tomorrow. It is just too pretty and I am tucking in some surprises too.

I also finished a baby quilt for a very special little lady in Baltimore, a friend of my daughter's daughter. I quilted her name on the bottom of the very pretty quilt.

I am frantically making Baba's Burpees for my new Etsy shop. I love to make them and my daughter loves to give them to her friends. She helps pick the fabrics and then I get to add the cotton fleece.

And I have been knitting and I am helping with a quilt that we are taking to one of the Native American Schools so that they can auction it to help send some students to Europe this summer and I have been reading the newest Jennifer Chiaverinni's books in the Elm Creek series and I have been driving around on the very cold plains. The frost on the trees this morning was so beautiful.

Wish my friend Sara, WELL!

Many of you may know that Sara and I are friends. Her blog is "My Sewing Room". She had emergency surgery on Tuesday and will be in the hospital for a time and then home recuperating. Please wish her well by visiting her site where she has a beautiful blue snowflake quilt showing.