Quilts for Little Guys

All last week, I've been working to get my classroom ready for the new school year. Posters, tape, staples, up and down the ladder numerous times, washing desks inside and out, labeling, moving furniture, making each bulletin board a work of art, visiting with returning staff, filing curriculum, another new beginning. 

Tomorrow starts Teacher's meetings. Next week the students will be in the classrooms, ah, the cycle begins again. This is my 6th year at second grade, my first group at grade 2 will be graduating from 8th, and they will be leaving our campus for other times of their life. I'm glad to be a part of the children's lives at West Covina Christian School.

A new semester of my Monday night quilting class begins tonight. I'm home (not prepping in my own classroom) sewing today, since I won't get another chance to choose to stay home after today, yep, the denial thing is still in full swing, lol!

This is a quilt that Ginny and I worked on for her great nephew, another Bakan boy.

 

She wanted something to do with the piggy print (Bakan-bacon, get it?) 

 

 but was trying to not major on the pink of the pigs. 

We both like the back of it the best-!

 This is another quilt, this time a Prayer quilt for my dear friend Vicky's grandson Jake. He has a serious medical issue, that's going to require surgery on his spine. Jake's great aunt has a gift from the quilters at her church who made this with love and prayers. The tag reads:

 Jake's favorite thing of all time is Lightnin' McQueen from the movie "Cars". 

He is gonna love this! Please join me in prayer for Jake.  Since this was diagnosed, today is the first meeting with specialists.

 I'm sewing on a few fun things, including the next Block Lotto blocks that are a secret, hope to share later. Hope you're making the most of your day today, too!

 

"This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Sewing (When There are So Many Other Things to Do)

I've received all my block lotto winnings for the Liberated Checkerboard,

and look what happened as I laid them out in the bed...I couldn't help but see this rainbow taking place!

The day's work: rainbow trims, ready to make into 'quilt jelly'!
edited to add: Larry's Momma pushed all those colorful little confetti pieces of fabric into a jelly jar and called them "quilt jelly" for fun! If you stuff it full, and put a couple of layers of netting on the top, you can use it for a pin cushion, too. With those pretty rainbow scraps, I felt it was too happy to toss them. 

Today, I trimmed them all down to match, and sewed a few more to round out the quilt (actually, I made about 4 more RED ones, another blue green, and one more darker blue, too). Let's see how soon they get sewn together...!

While sewing these block lotto squares together this month, I saved the cut off half square triangles, I usually sew them as I go to help on the bias cut later, just easier. Now, how small is too small? Well, I know some of you girls do beautiful mini quilts, but I think this will be as little as it goes for me.

I used them as they were, should've trimmed them up neat but hey, they turned out kinda cool at 1/2 inch finished!

These were from the center of the flower, the yellows started out on the flower at 1 1/2 inch cut squares, but there were 4 "redeemed" squares from each flower.

On this year's quilt run in July, we found this sweet-gotta-have-it tiny box at Temecula Quilt Company, and it told me wanted to become a pin cushion :-}

So, I'm thinking...perfect!!!

Travelling 2011

A free picture collage by Smilebox

You can click on the photos to enlarge this collage share, which includes photos of:

• Four Corners
• Brice, Utah
• Mount Rushmore
• fishin'
• car rides in Papa's 1922 Ford Overlander
• Crazy Horse (from freeway)
• Wildlife Preserve in South Dakota
• Mammoth digs
• Carhenge in Alliance, Nebraska
• Nebraska wildflowers

We also visited a museum, and went to a musical performed in Fort Robinson, Nebraska. It was so good to be with the folks. Mom is doing well, she only was sick one day during our time there. We went with her, Papa and Larry's brother Wayne to a Dr.'s appointment, and were able to ask some not so easy questions. Mom is in latter stage 3 breast cancer. at 82, she is confident in her next home, and says she feels fine, just has the "cancer" label. I would hope to have her attitude! She's a love, so dear to us all. It was so hard to leave Nebraska....

Of course, you have to have something to "do" on the road. I have been making these little hexies during little bits of time, but on the trip I got them sewn into a section, probably a table runner,

and two flowers to spare. I do not hand sew, really, but needing a carry along project made this the exception. I was glad to have it along....

When I got home, I had the pleasure of opening "squishy" envelopes, woohoo!! I won the Liberated Checkerboards from Block Lotto! 48 squares are gonna come together from other quilters world over, that's neat, huh?

front cover

Before our trip, Lydia had put together her wedding photos into a book on "Shutterfly". Have any of you done this before? Her book is beautiful, I'd recommend it 100%!

~one of our favorite pages~

It has quality paper, and is hard bound. We had coupons and free shipping, and 52 pages ended up costing around $50.00 apiece, not bad!

back cover

Oh, and today is Lydia's Birthday, love you, girl!

Block lotto this month is doing this flower, and here is my 4 for the month.

Do you recognize it, Lynda? You know I love the quilts you've done in this flower!

Well, I needed to post, but now I've got to get back to painting, sanding, glueing, moving woodstuff... a woman's work is never done....
:-}