And the Winner is.....

AMY!!!   She wrote:


"Just getting started! Would love some fabric to begin my DJ stash:-) Amy"

Well Amy, there are no more excuses for putting off starting your DJ as you are about to have a pile of fabrics to get it going! Please send me your address by email and I'll get these off to you. Congratulations! Thanks to the rest of you for participating in my drawing and for leaving all those lovely comments! I truly enjoyed reading them all!

As for me, things have been sort of wild around my place. We had the new carpeting put in and moved some of the old stuff from upstairs to my sewing room, including the walk-in closet. I wonder if you can begin to imagine the mess going on with regard to the sewing room. The only sewing that has gone on are a couple of DJ blocks I had prepared prior to the carpet fiasco. I hope to show them to you soon.

My friend, Rana has given me her old dining room table to use as my sewing table. I might paint it before putting it together, so I have no idea how long this disaster might last. Tonight I'm hoping to tackle cleaning out the shelves in the closet. THAT should take days. Ugh....But oh how happy I will be when things are sorted, folded, thrown out and organized!!

Melanie

Full Circle

 Well, I'm back at work. It's been 5 1/2 months. When I think back to how I felt and all that was happening when I left work, I just thank God that I'm still here! There was so much unknown when I left. What was that growing in me? Was it malignant? What were my chances of survival? What was my life going to be like? What about my husband? Was he going to be okay?

Today, I'm happy to say that I'm done with my chemo and my prognosis is very good. I'm back at work and it's good to see my coworkers and my customers again! Lots of hugs all around! God is good!

I'm Back!

Wow, it's been 8 days since my last post! Sorry for the delay! I was supposed to get a picture of the fabric up for the 100th post giveaway. So without further ado...

This is a collection of 20s and 30s reproductions. Most are fat quarters and some are fat eighths. I'll leave this open until February 8. So just leave me a comment before then if you want your name put in the drawing! I'll announce next week. Your name is in the drawing already if you commented on my last post.

I have completed a couple of DJ blocks since my last post as well. This first one is called Coyote Chase, is paper pieced and appliqued and has 12 pieces.

This next one is quite similar in that the shapes are all the same, but they point in different directions. I have noticed that Jane Stickle did this a lot throughout the quilt. You can see very similar blocks in close proximity to each other in several places. Anyway, the method for making this one is different. This one is completely appliqued, has 6 pieces and is called Josepha's Jonquil.

I am still agonizing over a block in row I. It's I-12, Fred's Square Fair. It has tiny little pieces, but I'm not sure why this is causing me such trouble as it is very similar to the top right corner, which I don't remember struggling with at all! It seems funny to me that I can't recall working on some of these blocks at all. I suppose it shouldn't surprise me though between menopause and chemo brain so much seems to escape my memory these days!

Today, I hope to get my last triangle on the left side done. It looks fairly easy. Row J also looks to be very easy and after that, the whole quilt appears to get much more difficult! Yikes! Still heading for a June finish!

Until next time,

Melanie

100th Post Giveaway!

I've had this blog for a couple of years I think, but haven't been actively posting until about the last year. It has been a lot of fun for me and serves as something of a journal. I've really enjoyed it! Now I am coming up on my 100th post which seems like a good time to do my FIRST giveaway! I don't have anything purchased yet, but hope to have something to show you by the end of the weekend. You can count on it being fabric-y! Just leave me a comment on this post and your name will be thrown in the drawing! Oh, how fun!! I'm really excited about this! Hope you spread the word too!

In the meantime, I'll show you my latest Dear Jane triangle. It is RS-10 called Grandma Nan's Bodice. It was paper and regular pieced as well as some applique and has 17 pieces. It's always good to get a triangle done!

We have a bit of demolition going on here this weekend. Next week, we are having new carpeting put in our living/dining and bedrooms. So this is our opportunity to get rid of a built in bookcase in the living room that we have not ever really liked since we moved in here. Pete has torn the case out and now I need to go patch up some spots on the wall to make it blend it. I am also going to paint the bedroom before the carpet goes in so I have no shortage of projects! Anyone want to come help???

Don't forget to leave me a comment! We'll see you soon!

Melanie

Productivity!

Another DJ block done! This one is a repeat of this block I did back in December. It just wasn't going to work the way it turned out the first time. It really needed to be paper pieced. And so it was! this is I-4, called Stability, is paper and regular pieced and has 25 pieces.

The flash wasn't working on my camera so it is a dull picture. The focus fabric is much brighter than this shows. (I tried and tried to get this photo to load so that the little girl in the center was upright, but no luck. Sometimes, computers are so uncooperative!)

Earlier in the week I finished a purse that I made for a new friend I met at chemo who is battling ovarian cancer. The morning before I went to my last chemo, I was looking at a charm pack and trying to figure out what to do with it. I decided then I would make it into a purse. The fabrics are from the Cause for a Cure for ovarian cancer. Then that day, Debbie and I spent the whole time we were there (about 5.5 hours) chatting away. She is so sweet and is only 43. Please pray for her! Anyway, this seemed like the perfect gift for her. I hope to deliver it to her next week.

 

These purses are so fun to make!! Plus they are a great way to use a charm pack.

Today I am working on my Schnibbles quilt, Madeline, made with 2 charm packs and some yardage. Hope to have this done quickly. Only one week left before I return to work, so projects are being worked on at a steady pace around here!!

It is hailing outside here in normally sunny beautiful Central California. But I love the rain and welcome it.  It's a great time to sew! And I think it's still beautiful, even with the rain.

Until next time,

Melanie

Rainy Day...

Wow, it is really raining out there! My poor dog is huddled down and shaking behind the bed. She would really like for the rain to stop pelting on the windows! I suppose this would be a great excuse to wander down to the sewing room and hang out down there for a while. I know Kali would really like that. I have plans to clean out my closet today too!

In the meantime I thought I would share the block with you that I made yesterday. It is easiest one in row I in my opinion. It is I-3 called Family Album. It has 17 pieces and was paper and regular pieced.

Today I may get the last block in row I done! Or I may work on a triangle. Not sure which. OR, I might start work on a Schnibbles quilt. So many choices!! I better get down there and figure it out!!

Melanie

A Few New Purchases

I had a great sewing weekend with my three sisters! We gathered at my sister's home in Fillmore, CA. The weather was just perfect, hovering right around 65-70 and sunny. The hills were green and pretty! We walked, giggled, watched movies and rewound the funny parts so we could laugh even harder, ate and just generally had a good time. (Can you say "pants on the ground?)

On my way down there, I stopped at a little quilt store in Carpenteria, CA. The name escapes me at the moment. I bought these for my Dear Jane quilt.....

 and these...

Then when I got home, I had these waiting for me in the mail...

I have had a 6 x 12 ruler for probably 10 years, but it's been warped for most of that time and I finally just thought "why am I dealing with this?" and bought a new one! That is the ruler I use the most so it makes so much sense to have one that isn't warped. I don't know why I let myself become adjusted to such things....Anyway, I'm about to go chuck the warped one.

It's very rainy and windy here, which makes for a perfect day to sew! That's where I'm off to!

Melanie