Life's Little, Scrappy Distractions ~

I've been messin' around with little sewing bits--tiny, actually--just for the challenge. Oh yes, I have been way busy with school and cannot believe I'm
working on the first quarter grades! But, I've been trying to reintroduce 

~ B a l a n c E ~

which somehow evaporates with life demands. 

I'm gonna share some photos, it's up to you 

if you want to read the messages in between ~

 



These spools were my summer project from Bonnie Hunter, 3"finished, and all from scraps. I used a spool fabric print for sashing, but my favorite print is the top view of spools that are in the cornerstones. Needs to be quilted.
   
That thin turquoise flange was a chore for some reason, but I'm happy with the results.
Edited to add: Miss P. had a good idea for this to be linked to the challenge on Jo's Country Junction; maybe I'll up the game to get this one quilted! Thank you, P!

 

From each spool block was 4 bonus, or what I prefer to call "redeemed" hst's.
 



They were tiny, but I thought, "Why not?," and would get a tiny pinwheel with each spool.


 


This pinwheel Irish chain block is the result of those redeemed blocks! Set together in a 12 inch finished block, the math is 335 pieces per 12 inches! 

 

I have 4 completed blocks to make a 24" table topper. I've run out of my pretty confetti background, so it is sitting for the next fabric selection....

From there, I've moved to these 1 1/2 inch half square trianges...jus' cuz'... no real plans.....
 

This are the final photos from the quilt I made from Leanna's embroidered blocks. It was finished this summer, but she let me borrow it to share at quilt class and get photos taken.

~ Love this quilt ~

In the other "household" news,  Larry is not feeling well, and is facing another surgery, bless his heart. He is also unemployed, but working constantly with anything he can. It is wearing, as you can imagine.... We have been doing our Bible studies on the Sovereignty of God. Amazing blessings to be had...!

My second grade students are adorable, but quite a challenge this year. Over half of the class has diagnosed learning disabilities on various levels, and its hard work trying to bring them up to the mark. These are the years you question your own capabilities! Hopefully, we will get through with some growth in each of us, student and teacher, lol

Lastly, I just am not happy with bloglovin'. More times than not I cannot leave a comment on a friend's blog, without pulling the blog up on a separate window. It has caused me to slow down on my connections, and mostly I just connect though my own bloglist. Sorry for the grumbles, but one more reason I've felt a little lost from blogland.

 So, all that to say hello, and we are still kicking. Hope to get the posts coming a little better than one a month. Happy Saturday!


Happy Quilting, 

"Thus says the LORD: 'Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength… Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, and whose hope is the LORD. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, which spreads out its roots by the river, and will not fear when heat comes; but her leaf will be green, and will not be anxious in the year of drought, nor will cease from yielding fruit.'" Jeremiah 17:5a, 7-8

 

Lists Help!

I have a quilting to do list, with about 4 MUSTS!!  This one is first up, and then you'll see others soon.

These embroidered squares belong to my "yo-yo" friend from church, Leanna. They needed to be squared up, but since they were printed on the fabric, it was a challenge...I did my best.  Finally, "Pokey" went to work to get them sewn into a quilt top!

 

 starched, ironed and squared

 strips cut and added

 sewn into columns, then rows

 an extra square quartered to be cornerstones. 

I think I'll add one more small border so they will float ~

Next up, I need to wrangle with the quilt frame on a few projects, here's hoping it will be cooperative ~


 

 Oh, and here's the cakestand blocks for this week. 

 I'm up to 19 completed, big grins!

"The spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." Job 33:4

Kitties and Yo-Yos

These are the weeks of report cards, grading stacks of student's work that seemed to be laid aside for a better time . . . WHAT was I THINKING?!? Where is my magic easy button? Oh, well, I'm plowing through. You know, I earned my name "Pokey"-!

Lydia's MIL-to-be loves cats, I think they currently are owned by 4 . . . .


Mrs. Wise's birthday was last week, so this charm tote was a joint venture by Lydia and I. She did all the collecting, cutting and piecing, and most of the quilting. I was involved in the final construction.


Lydia even made the neat zipper tote to match!




With my work (and actually we've had some fairly serious 'illness' in the family) I have sure missed the sewing machine.

My friend Leanna has been yo-yo busy. I was hoping to show a few things that she literally made into two yo-yo project kits for me, I'll show eventually.

But, she brought in this table runner today, and I'm so excited to share it with you!



She does such beautiful stitches, . . .



I cannot believe how tiny these are!



That's our U.S. quarter, so these finish at about 1 inch . . . .

I have my quilting class tomorrow, I'm helping my friend Ginny with her first quilt! Maybe soon, I'll be back to sewing! I hope, . . . .

Happy Quilting, Pokey

Patriotic Yo-Yos on Sew and Tell

Isn't this pillow a beauty? This was made by a lady I go to church with by the name of Leanna Smith. I think I surprised her with my enthusiasm over her talent! The flag pillow has 480 yo-yos, most of them at one inch. The little white 'stars' are even smaller!
I didn't take a photo of the back, but it is done in all white yo-yos. I told her my handwork is so slow, I would've been lucky to do the front, and use a solid cloth on the back, *vbg*!





She said she doesn't do quilting, "I couldn't." She likes to do her hand sewing in the evenings while she watches a little t.v.
I asked if she had done any other sewing, she told me she's made 17 queen size yo-yo coverlets-!!! Wouldn't we like to see those? I want to introduce her to English paper-piecing hexagons...what do you think?



I baked three "Pumpkin Pie Cakes" with my students on Thursday, for our Pilgrim Feast Celebration Friday, so there is not a lot of my own sewing to share this week. Thank you for letting me spotlight Leanna's work on Sew and Tell Friday!