Mondays are play days!

I like Mondays!  My Monday's start off with a "sew date" with my good friend Laurraine from Patchwork Pottery.  I met Laurraine through blogging, and now she lives just a few short blocks away from me - isn't life grand???  We meet at Laurraine's house, sometimes I take my machine over, and sometimes I just take handstitching.  Today was a handstitching day.  I decided to try my hand at some hexie's. 

Actually, I started making these on vacation 2 years ago, and just didn't like how long they took to stitch.  Then I discovered this way of doing them

just tacking them together at the corners - wow was this fast!  and the paper just pops out!  Not like the old way I was doing them

stitching all around with little running stitches, notice the paper is still in this one, 'cause I have to cut and pull that thread before I can remove it - yuckers!  No wonder I put them aside!  Now, they might actually get made into the coaster sets I originally intended for our last guild quilt show.  Next show's coming up this October, and may be, just may be, they'll be in the boutique this year!

Then, because it's Monday, and I don't have to work, I came home and did some more sewing.  I'm in the Bitty Block Committee swap, where we exchange 3" finished blocks.  The July/August theme is Beach/Ocean, so here are my little blocks, all fused down and ready to stitch.

here's a close up of one of them

If you want to see some truly amazing little blocks, check out the swap Flickr page here. 
Hope you have wonderful Monday's, too!
Happy quilting,

Hot Potato Giveaway Continues!

do you remember this one?

Well Melinda won it when I held the giveaway and now she's passing it along!  If you missed when Sarah started things rolling, and then when I had my turn, now's your chance to try again.  Head right on over to Melinda's Fabric Fancies to enter for your chance to win!  It's a great little pattern and so quick and fun to do up!  Better hurry though, she's drawing for it in the next few days!

Update!  Better be really quick, it maybe drawn as earlier as tomorrow! (July 15th)
Good luck!

knock a couple off the UFO list!

Yay!! I had a productive weekend.  After getting my 4x6er's postcards done last week, I have now managed to finish off what I believe is my oldest UFO.  I started these placemats at least 6 years ago after taking a Seminole piecing class.  They languished until a few weeks ago when I pulled them out and quilted them, and now this weekend I finished the binding on them. 

Then, as I just had a bit of the blue floral leftover, I pulled out a little stitchery I did last summer, and bordered it with it to make a matching little wall "plaque".

 

I think the two will go in my giving box so I have an easy housewarming type present available.

Yesterday morning I received an email from Victoria of Bumble Beans Inc and Say Cheese fame, asking how my self portrait was coming along - had I ever finished it?  Well it was just the kick in the butt gentle nudge I needed, and I'm happy to say that yesterday I bordered, quilted and almost finished binding the little bugger, and now I just have a little bit of the binding left to sew down, which I'm about to take out into the sunshine to finish off!  Can I say "done!"?

Now to figure out what closet this is going to take up residence in!

Hope you had a happy productive weekend of sewing!

A July finish!

but this is all you get for now!  The 4x6ers theme for July was "Ocean".

These will be going in the mail sometime next week!