Busy, busy, busy!!

I have been busy. With what, I'm not sure I really remember to tell you but I haven't been on the computer all that much, certainly much less than usual and I no matter what I do, how far in advance I plan or what I tell the family---I never seem to manage to get to my quilt or even to cutting fabric. But, all is not lost, it's been a good quilting month---I got a gift subscription to Fon's and Porter's Love of Quilting magazine from DH, I was in a bottle swap for one of my online quilting groups and I got a box of awesome scraps for my scrappy quilt that is in the works! With a birthday coming up, Easter just passing---prom shopping coming up, graduation and then the graduation party---and that's just for one of the kids---there just doesn't ever seem to be enough time in the day! When I started quilting, back in the early 90's, I had 3 kids at the time who were toddlers or younger so I was able to quilt while they napped and then I quilted after they went to bed and into the wee hours of the morning---never really getting more than 4 hours of sleep a day. And I was fine. I was also in my mid 20's!!! Now, with 6 kids, one a toddler---and being well ensconced into the 4th decade of my life, I just can't do it anymore!!! When I did some marathon sewing sessions around Christmas last to finish up gifts, I stayed up all night for a few nights---I got around 4 hours of sleep each night and I was dead tired for DAYS!!! Ah, the joys of getting older, LOL!

Ok, so I joined the bottle swap for my Ohio Quilters group---I had never heard of such a swap and this was also to be my first online swap. Needless to say, I was excited! My partner listed that she liked bright colors, frogs and Jelly Bellys. I looked through my stash and found some great bright FQ's that I had but the frog fabrics that I had for the baby quilt were all used up, just some scraps and not even a whole frog on a scrap!! I went to my LQS, hoping they'd still have that fabric but they didn't. It didn't seem they had any frogs so just as I was ripping myself away from the fabrics to go look elsewhere, there was a FQ bundle of 5, and on top was a great froggie fabric surround by 4 brights! It was within the allotted budget for the swap so I scooped it up! What a find, LOL! I stuffed that into my 2 liter bottle, along with the brights I found in my stash, a some bags of Jelly Bellys that she loves. Here is a picture of the stuffed bottle:

Needless to say, the people at the post office thought this was pretty nifty. One lady just kept exclaiming, "I've never heard of such a thing, imagine, sending a gift in a soda bottle!" LOL! Unfortunately, no one in the group has heard from my partner, as to whether she got my bottle, or sent out hers. Hers was due to be delivered around the 3rd or 4th, so she must have gotten it! I just hope everything is ok with her, since she hasn't been heard from in a while!

My bottle arrived on the 31st, the day after I mailed mine out. I had been watching for the mailman everyday and was ready for him when he got here, looking to see if he was holding a bottle. Of course, he came while I was in the bathroom that day, so I didn't realize he had come. 2 hours after his usual delivery time, I checked the mail box for mail and it was full (ours is a slot that goes into the house) and my mailman always knocks on the door when he has something that won't fit in the box, so I didn't bother looking outside. DH gets home hours later and he's like---I found this bottle on the porch, they must have decided it wasn't deliverable or maybe it needs more postage. (thinking it was the one I sent out) I knew it was the one I was waiting for and needless to say I squealed with excitement and went running for knives or scissors (I felt like a little kid, LOL!) My partner sent me some beautiful fabrics, it was certainly worth the wait! Here's a pic:

Of course, I didn't think or wasn't patient enough to take a pic before I opened it, LOL! Thanks Dianna, what a nice Easter treat!

A while back, I happened to be chatting with some quilting friends, talking about wanting to make a scrappy quilt but I no longer had my bags of scraps and it would take me years to save up that many again (basically, I was whining!) Of course, you don't have to wait to have scraps for a scrappy quilt---but to me, that is part of the charm of a scrappy quilt---using leftovers, not buying fabrics for it. Anyway, one of my friends suggested that I put a request out on my blog, and those of you that read me regularly know that I did do that. I wasn't going to at first, I thought that maybe it was tacky--but then I decided that I could actually help someone clear out some much needed space in her studio---so in asking for scraps, I could be helping someone as well! Hey, it makes sense!!! Ok, well I'm just being silly---but I decided I had nothing to lose and I put out the request--and people responded!!! The Thursday before Easter I got a box in the mail, filled up with so many wonderful, beautiful scraps! It took my breath away! Thank you again, Vicki, you really made my month!! Debra also offered but I haven't been able to get my emails to her--so Debra, if you happen to pop by, anything I send to you bounces back (my emails bounce at Yahoo regularly, even on the groups) so if you have another email addy I can send you my info, or if you are on yahoo messenger, I can IM you the info, LOL! Whatever happens, thanks for offering to send scraps as well!
Box o' scraps!








My daughter (the senior in high school) is in the musical Aida so this weekend we're gonna be going to see her perform. I can't believe this will be her last musical and in a month, she'll be graduating. Wow, time flies! DH was up in the attic, rummaging around for an old TV for one of the kids, and he found two little baskets of quilting stuff that somehow got put up there--probably during a spring cleaning. While looking through the baskets, I found project that Jessica had made while I was working on the Debbie Mum Santa wallhanging that I finally finished for my mom this past Christmas---I started it probably 8 years ago---she would have been around 10. She just used scraps leftover from my quilts I was working on and put this together herself, designed it and sewed it---using the machine for the first time. I think it's beautiful!! I had forgotten about it, I think she has too so I am going to frame it as is and give it to her on her birthday. That way, she can finish it if she wants to---or if she isn't interested in it, I'll keep it, LOL! She used to help me make garb for our SCA personas, usually cutting fabric for me, or patterns. On the other Debbie Mum Santa wallhanging that I made for me, there is a teeny patchwork quilt hanging out of the sled---she made that when she was 7, all hand stitched. She was always afraid to use the sewing machine---but she finally sat down and use it for this project of hers. She just grabbed the scraps lying around, cut them into pieces and made her own creation. Then she became a teenager and was no longer interested in sewing with mom. Maybe someday, the bug will get her again, in the meantime, this is a beautiful memory. I think I want to keep it now, instead of giving it to her!!!!


Ok, that's it for me for today, I will try not to fall so behind and I promise to have something accomplished (SOMETHING!) by next WIP Wednesday!