Tickled...

Let me just say I am 'Tickled' with this month's Schnibbles quilt.  It was viewer's choice and I knew right away which one I wanted to make.  I picked the Little Bites pattern Tickle.

I used 4 mini Charm Packs of Happy Go Lucky and made the larger version of the quilt - 16 blocks instead of 9.  (I love that Carrie includes instructions for making different sizes in her patterns.)

You know how you're never quite sure how a quilt is going to turn out when you start it?  Some of them I like, some of them I wonder what I was thinking, but this one I love, love love!  I think it must be my favorite Schnibbles yet.

Perhaps it's working with such bright, happy colors during a very cold winter, but I enjoyed every step of making this quilt.

In fact, I really rather dragged it out because I was having so much fun.  I spent a lot of time trying to decide on the fabric to use for the cornerstones and the border.  Initially I bought the red to use for both and the aqua for the backing.  Fortunately, I had enough to switch that up.  The pattern only calls for one border, but once I had it on, I thought the quilt was just calling out for another border of the red.

I had hoped to have it quilted by now as well, but was pulled away by some home renovation projects and didn't find the time.  However, I've prepared the backing and batting and sandwiched everything already.

I've even made the bias binding...

Now, like most of my quilts, I'll just have to find some time to quilt it.  I already know right where I'm going to hang it when it's finished.

Be sure to check out all the other quilts in the parade Sherri and Sinta will host on March 1st.  I love seeing the quilts in it each month, but this parade should be even better because not only has everyone chosen different fabric, but their patterns are different too!

Gabriel took advantage of the morning sunshine while I was sewing.  I can see from this picture she's managed to put on a little winter weight this year.

And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. 

Ephesians 3:18 (NLT)

Disconnected...

I had no intention on being absent for so long.  I really planned on posting a couple of times, but quite literally couldn't!  Last week, we had an unusual winter storm.  It was unusual in that it wasn't a snow storm, but a thunderstorm.  Around 4:30 in the morning, we heard a very loud crack.  It startled both my husband and I, but I don't even think the dog woke up.  (She's terrified of mushrooms and frogs, but not storms.)  It turns out lightning struck one of the trees in our front yard.

It fried our underground cable and also took out our router and modem.  We have cable phones, so that meant no internet or home phones.  Our neighborhood is also in a dead zone, so cell phones won't work at our house.  That meant we had to physically drive somewhere if we wanted make a call.

The cable box on the house

It took 6 days to get a temporary cable line in place.  It has definitely shown us how dependent we've become on the internet.  It's amazing how many times a day we'd find ourselves just going to look something up!  Not to mention it meant virtually no TV.  Fortunately we had the Downton Abbey Season 4 DVD's that we hadn't started watching yet.

Have you ever considered how much your life would change if you had to give up the internet?  Or perhaps you're not as dependent on it as we found ourselves.  Do you remember when researching something meant going to the library or looking it up in encyclopedias?  Does anyone still have a set of encyclopedias?  The world certainly has changed in the last 25 years.  It's hard to remember that we lived perfectly normal lives without all these modern day conveniences.  (Having said that, I'm very glad to have the internet working again.)

I plan to be back tomorrow to share my Schnibbles quilt for the parade!

“Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns. Don't hoard your goods; spread them around. Be a blessing to others.” 

Ecclesiastes 11:1-2a (MSG)

Officially a Snow Day...

Well the forecasters were right and it's snowing big, fat fluffy flakes outside my window right now.  It's coming down fast and we've gotten several inches in the past couple of hours.  Meanwhile, I've been working a little bit on my Tickle quilt as well as puttering with a few other things.  I now have all my blocks ready to be assembled.

The fabric I'm using is Happy Go Lucky by Bonnie & Camille.  It's just so bright and cheerful and I love every print in it!

Gabriel is loving the falling snow.  When I stepped outside to quickly take a picture, she darted out and started sprinting around the yard.  What a goofball!

The snow is supposed to turn to ice late tonight before turning back into snow tomorrow.  The forecasters seem to think widespread power outages are likely due to the ice, but I'm just going to pray that they're wrong and only the fluffy stuff sticks around!

Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance. 

1 Corinthians 13:7 (NLT)

Summer Meadows...

I put the final stitches on the binding for Summer Meadows late Sunday night.  Yesterday I rollered it (to remove all the cat hair) and it has now replaced Just Fun in my sewing room.

I showed my husband the quilt when it was done and his comment was that I should hang it backwards.  Too funny!  He actually prefers the back of the quilt to the front.  I suppose if I hadn't put a label on it, I could have put it up either way.

This was a fun quilt to make.  It didn't take very long to put the top together and I spent a lot more time quilting it than I did piecing it, but I enjoyed it all.  The practice is also helping me with my stitch regulation and free motion quilting skills.  These quilts are just the right size to try out various quilting designs and techniques without getting overwhelmed or taking forever!

So, to sum up this quilt:

• Size: 36" x 36"
• Fabric: 2 Charm Packs of Meadow by Blackbird Designs, backing is French General Favorites
• Batting: 2 layers of Warm & Natural
• Thread: Aurifil for the piecing and quilting
• Pattern: Jersey Girl by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co

I'm already busy piecing the next one and planning out the quilting for it.  We'll see how far I can get before I need to set it aside and finish a couple other things.  We're expecting some more snow and ice tomorrow, so perhaps I'll be able to spend the next few days in my sewing room.  (I'm really hoping that turns out to be the case.)

No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you: to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. 

Micah 6:8 (NLT)

February Wish List...

Now that we're already a week into February, this seems like a good time to put together my wish list of things I'd like to get finished this month.  (In case it didn't come across, I'm being slightly ironic here.)  When I started to put this list to paper, I quickly realized it is highly unlikely (read impossible) for me to get all of these things done.  However, I like working with lists, so I'm going to post it anyway.

1.  Finish Summer Meadows (January's Schnibbles Quilt) - I've finished the quilting and am working on the binding.  However, I must be the world's slowest at hand sewing binding, so this might take another week!

2.  Finish quilting Leap Year - Shamefully, this quilt has been on the frame since October of last year.  I ran into machine problems and frame problems and really just haven't wanted to work on it.  I really, really want to have it on our bed by the end of the month though so I need to force myself to just do it!

3.  Finish quilting Celebrations - This is one I want to get back to working on.  I've finished the stitch in the ditch quilting and can now start on the fun stuff.  I keep setting it aside though because I feel like I need to work on other things.

4.  Complete step 2 of the Mystery Quilt - My quilt bee is doing another Mystery quilt this year.  I've decided to do 2 versions of it (one to keep and one to donate) and since I'm the one handing out the clues, I need to make sure I do them in advance so I can see if there are any issues or any tip or hints I can give them.

5.  Make more Farmer's Wife blocks - My goal is to make at least 4 of these a month, hopefully more.  I want to make a king size quilt and I only have 4 blocks right now, so I have a long way to go!

6.  Happy Go Lucky Tickle Quilt - That title just sounds funny.  But it's really just my choice for February's Schnibbles quilt.  Although technically it's not a Schnibbles quilt, but one of Carrie's Little Bites patterns.  These patterns use the 2 1/2" Mini Charm packs.  I'm planning to use Happy Go Lucky for mine.  I probably don't have time to make this, but I think it'll be fun, so I'm going to try to find the time.

7.  Quilt Winter Wonderland - This is a quilt of my mom's that I've promised to quilt for her.  It's going to be another custom quilt job and will take a while.  I'd really like to get started on it in the near future.

That's a long list!  But as I remind myself, the world won't end if I don't manage to get any of these done.  I'm a very goal oriented person though, so I like having a list like this.  It'll be interesting to see how much I actually accomplish in the next 21 days!

Teach us to realize the brevity of life, so that we may grow in wisdom.  

Psalms 90:12 (NLT)