WIPs With Friends; The Delayed Version (and giveaway)

I totally spaced that yesterday was Wednesday!  

What with the holiday and farm sitting I just completely forgot about it. 

 I am so sorry my friends.  

Additionally, someone dressed me down in a comment left on my last post and I want to address this.  I did not put the pattern designer for the amazing Watercolor Seahorse quilt in my initial post. 

 I was at work and rushed and just could not remember the name of the designer. 

 I have added it and included a link to her website where 

you can purchase your very own copy of her pattern.  

The design is by Summer Crafter and you can find the 

Watercolor Seahorses pattern in her shop right here.  

I am very sorry, I am usually very good about those things as I think they are important.  

I just wanted to get that out of the way and be up front. 

 I am only human and sometimes I just forget things.  

Now on to what I have been working on.  

Speaking of forgetting things, I almost forgot to make my bee blocks for this month!  

This pattern is called Magic 8 Ball and can be found here at Blossom Heart Quilts.  

I love how they turned out.  

These would make a great charity quilt too.  

The secondary pattern is amazing.

I got my Birdie Stitches quilt back a bit ago and decided that I needed to put the binding on.

I had it all made but needed to sew it on.

I got it all stitched on, but not hand sewn down just yet.

Pretty view as I stitched!

Darla Hall did an amazing job with the custom quilting on this!

It was fun to revisit each block as I stitched the binding down.  

My friend from IG loved my vintage sheet stripe binding and 

she has a quilt made using the same Dream On fabric.  

She thought it would be perfect for her quilt so I sent her the rest of what I had and 

I hope that will make her day!

Speaking of binding, the picnic quilt should be showing up soon.  

It will need binding too. 

 I love that the front is so much solid but the back is a light coral.

  For me that is a binding dilema.  

I didn't want the dark on the back or the light on the front.

Solution?  

Make a two sided binding of course!  

You can find the tutorial to make your own right here on my blog if you want to try it.  

It is not difficult and

it really makes a difference for quilts where one color is not going to work for both sides of the quilt.

This is how mine turned out.

All set and ready for when I receive the quilt back.

Now what have you been working on?  

Please link up using the blue linky tool.

If we can get 10 people to link up I will have a little giveaway!

~XOP~

An InLinkz Link-up

WIPs With Friends

The biggest things I have been working on are actually some small things.  

I had some bee blocks for April to finish up, which I did.

Hallie was sooooo helpful! LOL

I was trying to tidy up and had some left over flannel that was not big enough to do much with so I am in the process of making some burp cloths out of them.  

I will be listing these in my ETSY shop once I have them all finished.  

Last night I was making binding for my Birdie Stitches quilt and this was my view as I was cutting.

I wanted to use the aqua gingham you see in the photo above but it was not right for the quilt.

The dominant colors are pink and orange with some green.  

I had some green gingham like the aqua but could not put my hands on it quickly. 

 I decided to look through my stash of vintage sheets and came upon this gem.  

I cut it on the bias and voila, binding!

The greens are not the same but so very little actually shows and it actually IS vintage sheet so 

I am happy with it, I think.

My friend Darla Hall did the quilting and it is phenomenal! 

 I can't wait to get the binding on it so I can have it finished now.

I used a bunch of vintage sheet FQ for the backing so I know that binding will look great with that backing too. 

 Linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts.

Your turn, what are you working on?  

Please link up and share with us.  

Use the Inlinkz button and the #WIPsWithFriends if sharing on IG.

~XOP~

An InLinkz Link-up

WIPs With Friends The Birdie Stitches Edition

I am so excited to talk about my Birdie Stitches quilt.  

I started it in 2011 when Little Miss Shabby 

(now called Coriander Quilts) 

designed the birdie embroideries.  

If you want to make the blocks she still has them up and you can find the free patterns here. 

 I took my time and did the embroideries and made them into blocks.  

Then I took my sweet sweet time making it into a top.  

THEN even longer making a backing.  

I made the top out of Dream On by Moda and used vintage sheets for the backing.

I have had this ready to go to the quilter for a LONG time now.  

Next enter a new friend.  

I'm not even certain how exactly we became friends on Instagram but we are.  

She has a long arm business in California and does amazing work.  

I decided I wanted to send my Birdie Stitches to her and see what she would do with them.  

I really wanted something stunning, not just an overall pattern. 

 Let me tell you she is not disappointing me!!!  

She started on it last night and it looks GREAT so far.  

Here are some of the blocks she has taken pictures of as she is quilting.

I can not believe how amazing this is turning out!! 

 It is my WIP but just for trimming and binding. 

 I am taking an EQ class Thursday-Saturday so it will have to be later than that.  

My friend, Darla, that is doing the quilting is hoping to send it back to me on Friday, so I think I should be able to make binding this week and get the next quilt in the mail to her. 

 I still need to make the back for that one too.  

Hopefully tonight.

Linking up with Sew Fresh Quilts.

What are you working on? 

 Please share with all of us by adding to the link. 

 If you are linking up via Instagram please use 

#WIPsWithFriends.

~XOP~

An InLinkz Link-up

AAMQG Retreat

I am so far behind in my blogging.  

Life has so gotten in the way of this blog.  

Sorry to all of you.  

I have been sewing just no time to talk about it here.  

I seem to be doing a lot of Instagraming. 

 You can find me there at mamaspark59.

The AAMQG had a retreat a few weekends ago that I went to. 

 I left on a Thursday and met up with my friend, Windy, from Grand Rapids.  

It was so great that she got to join our retreat!! 

 We met on Instagram and became friends in real life too.  

I packed WAY more than I thought I would finish, but I was hopeful!  

My daughter's car is still in the shop and she has my car so

 I am religated to driving the Mustang convertible.  

Awe, poor me!  

Except that the top needs to be repaired so I am not allowed to put the top down!  

EVERYONE judges me as I am driving on a beautiful day with the top up and everyone wants to race me leaving stop lights, LOL.

Here is what my trunk looked like.

First up on my long list of projects to finish was my Birdie Stitches quilt top. 

 I had to add the little squares around 3 of the blocks, cut the sashing and the borders.  

Then I got to assemble it. 

 I managed to get this finished on Thursday before I went to bed.  

Now I have to make a back and make some binding and send it to the quilter!

 Next up, on Friday was to sew my Christmas Sampler BOM from the Fat Quarter Shop. 

 I had a LOT of work to do on that top for sure.  

The sashing is pieced and so is the border.  

I worked all day on Friday and all night.  

Not finished but a good way to the goal for sure.  

Saturday I got up and started on it again. 

 This time I was successful in getting the entire top completed!

Now I was on a roll!!  

What to do next?  

As you know I agreed to help my friend make napkins for her daughter's wedding reception, 

so I dug in and started making blocks.

Windy brought some Flatter by Soak and it was fabulous to use for the pressing.  

I got about 35 different blocks done which was a great start to the 50 or so I committed to making.

It was late then so I packed up and went to bed.  

I helped clean up on Sunday and headed home around lunch time. 

 We were leaving on Monday afternoon for North Carolina to watch my daughter defend her thesis, so there was lots to get ready for the road trip!  

I will leave that for another day though.

~XOP~

New Bee Blocks

I have joined 2 online bees. 

 Bee Vintage which uses vintage sheets and Ima Bee where we make 2 blocks of the queen's choosing.  I decided to make 2 blocks for each person in the Bee Vintage bee too.  

You just don't get enough with only one. 

 I have 4 to make for this month and have 3 o the 4 done. 

 Wanna see?

Here are the blocks for the Bee Vintage

And these

I showed the heart blocks that I made already but in case you forgot here they are again

On the train ride to and from Toronto I worked on my Birdie Stitches October block.

I got the center all finished

This week I got the squares around the block sewn on too. 

 Woo Hoo!! 

 Only 2 more months to go and I can begin to assemble the quilt!

I have also been working on getting my Tula Pink swap finished up and ready for the mail. 

 I think I will do things a little differently next time. 

 Yes, I am a sucker and there will be a round 3.  

On Sunday I made buffalo chicken lasagne and it was fabulous!!

  I also made bread and an apple pie.  

We packed them all up and took it to my daughter's house and ate dinner with her. 

 It was so nice. 

 That lasagne was amazing!!!  

I had to drive up to GR to see my dad again on Tuesday.

  I got to watch the amazing MSU vs U of M basketball game.

  I took the time and cleaned out some of a closet at the same time.

 I found some weird stuff, like my sixth grade gym suit. 

 Who keeps that stuff?  

 We had to be at court on Wed morning

so I could assume guardianship of my older, mentally impaired sister. 

 I had to actually go up on the witness stand and testify! 

 It all went well and I am the newest guardian of my sister.  

No shortage of fun over here at my house! 

 I am happy to be making progress though. 

I am also working on a project that I, hopefully, will be able to share shortly!  

What's going on in your life?? 

 Send me some good vibes,

 I think I need some right now!

~XOP~

Sewing, Sewing, Sewing

That's what I have been doing lately, trying to get all the things off my "gotta" list. 

 I can cross off 2 more things now!

I was cleaning out a bag to use on the shop hop when I found 2 Birdie Stitches blocks all embroidered and waiting to have the squares sewn around them, so I did that.  

August

September

Not too bad just 3 more to stitch and I can put the quilt together!  

(Oh who am I kidding, those are going to take me forever! LOL)

I put this quilt together this weekend also.  

I did a U of M one and then this one. 

 Both are donation quilts for Margaret's Hope Chest's quilt for kids drive. 

I sent it off to Liz for quilting yesterday.  

I got my Sliced Apples quilt back from her last night with hairy caterpillars all over it! 

 I need to trim it up and bind it. 

 I also got the U of M quilt back to trim and bind too. 

 I will try to take some photos tonight.  

I still need to cut out the zig zag quilt for MHC but I don't think that is going to happen too soon. 

 I am going to lay out the quilt Yolanda sent me for her nephew

 but will bring the white to cut tonight too.  

Two good things to get done tonight!  

I am meeting Stacey tonight for dinner too. 

 I am looking forward to catching up with her.

I am going to the Appleseed Quilt show in Fort Wayne Indiana and I leave tomorrow. 

 I will be meeting up with Jacquie (she's teaching a class on Friday and has a trunk show on Sat). 

 I am taking her class and we will be discussing upcoming projects too. 

 It should be a blast! 

 I am really looking forward to spending some time with her too.  

OK I gotta dash, more later!

~XOP~

Busy Weekend and Totally Amazing Find

I was super motivated to get some sewing done this weekend.  First, my DH and I went out to dinner with some friends that we had not seen in forever.  My friend Shelby and her DH, and Shelby's sister (also my doctor) and her DH.  We are going to try to make this an every 2 month event.

Saturday saw my butt parked on the couch watching MSU lost to Notre Dame, major bummer.  Good news?  I got June and July embroidered in my Birdie Stitches blocks!

                                            June

                                           July
 

On Sunday I got them sewn into actual blocks!! I also traced August and September. I got 4 quilts back from LTW and needed to put binding on. I got the binding sewn on by machine to 3 of them and got one of them turned and hand sewn down. I cut out the binding for the fourth one, still need to sew it.    I will get pictures soon for you. I also cleaned, did laundry and grocery shopping!

Now for the amazing find. I stumbled upon a new to me blog The Scientific Seamstress. Have you heard of her? She has the cutest Periodic Table of Sewing elements. You so need to go and take a look! I don't know her personally so didn't want to copy it here but there is a link on her blog and you can print it from there. I can tell you she has me as her newest follower. (Y'all know I'm a scientist too right?)

So there you have it! My weekend in the Reader's Digest condensed version! ~XOP~