It's been awhile

I just want to start by saying thank you to all of you for helping me through this difficult time. I'm doing well and have know that sewing and spending time with all my quilting friends is the best for me now.
I want to share with you a little mini I received from expatquilter in the Fall mini swap that Holee hosted. She did a fabulous job and i just love it!!
I would show you a pic of the mini I made expatquilter but I didn't get a pic of it before mailing but it's like the one I made for my sis except the blocks were 3" instead of 1.5"
Next is a little mini I made for my sister out of some very small 1.5"blocks I was going to use in the inchie swap but had a difficult time trying to put a binding on them so ended up sewing them all together and this is the result. This little mini measures 5x5". It's it cute. When my sister got it she she it was so much smaller then she had envisioned and she loves it.
Here's a quilt I'm working on for my daughter. I didn't really plan it out or anything. I just seen one someone else had made and knew I wanted to give it a try, so I guess that explains why I've run out of background fabric. I was hoping to have enough blocks to make it large enough but I guess I'll have to make some sort of border to make it a bit larger. I know I seen on SQ that you shouldn't put a border on just to make your quilt larger but Hey, I also heard there are no rules in quilting and after my visit to Handcocks today for more fabric, which they no longer have guess I'll be adding a border. I still have one more layer cake of the 9 patch blocks so maybe I can work with that. I open for suggestions on the border. I was thinking about adding 9 patch block all the way around but my other DD said to add a solid fabric. I have so much fabric now that I'm trying not to buy anymore until I use up some of this that I have stock piled.
I'm also working on a bear quilt for my DGS John and it still likes one more row of blocks. It's okay but I'm not sure I really like it or not. Maybe it will look better once it gets quilted. I'll show how it turns out when I get it done. I had also started my first tatted piece which I was working on when I wasn't able to spend time at home and sew on my machine. I was nearly done but had to lay it down and now I'm not sure if I remember how to. I'll have to send my sis a pic and see if she can help me figure that out.
I want to show you the gorgeous block I received from Carmellady in the CQ one block swap, hosted by Nickilee. I asked for french country and it couldn't have been more perfect. It is more then I had ever hoped for.
Gosh, while I'm at it I'll show you the blcok I made for Ely. She asked for fairies, pink, blue, yellow green and she even likes orange. I thought I was the only one who liked orange!! My sister painted the bird nest and sent it to me to make postcards with but I told her I had to have it for Ely's block so she didn't make me beg she gladly let me have it. She also made me the 2 tatted pieces, it's like they just belonged here. The 2 dyed lace pieces where some that I had got from Nickilee. I used the big one for the woodland garden floor. The yellow flower vine was inspired from Ivoryblushrose. I don't even know if she knows but I love her CQ. This is my second CQ, my first one drove me crazy and was just a disaster,but this one was a joy to make. I need to get started on the other CQ for me block. I think I have an idea of what I want to make I just haven't had the time to get it out and get started.

I spent most of the day yesterday cutting my scraps into squares to use as leaders and enders. Some people with this much fabric might have just tossed these bits of scraps but I just couldn't bear to part with them. I love scrappy quilts, plus I'll have bits of most of the quilts I made all in one. I didn't color coordinate them or anything. I've just decided to sew together what ever I pull out. I like doing this, you end up with a big pile of 4 patch blocks before you know it and when my jars of square starts getting low I just get my scrap drawer out and cut up some more. Maybe I'll win the battle with the overwhelming amount of scraps I have accumulated.

Oh almost forgot here's the mini I sent Susrina for the Christmas mini swap. It's about 13x14 if I remember right. My sis brought me the kit to make it when she came down. I was a little intimidated about try to paper piece something so small but it ended up going together pretty easy. I added some embroidery and beads to finish it off. You really can't see them but I did a few embroidered snowflakes with this thread that looks just like snow that my sis had gave me. I love that stuff.
Me and a few of the other girls from the HGTV board are all planning to go up and spend a week at my sisters in Ohio this June the week of the quilt show. I'm excited and June can't get here fast enough for me. We're going to have a blast. I know they have some great quilt, thread and bead shop so you know we'll be going to those.
I sure have missed all of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MIA

I just thought I'd let you know that there was just too much going on for me this past month. I'll spare you all the details and just say some good and some bad. I do have some quilting things to share with you, that I managed to complete during all the chaos. Just don't have the time today, but I hope to get to it in the next couple of days. I can't wait to read all my favorite(your) blogs too and see what all you have been working on.

Another mini and a fun giveaway

Sewmeow is having a fun giveaway and is adding something new everyday to her giveaway for the next 18 days. here's a link to her blog so go on over and sign up....http://sewfunquilts-sewmeow.blogspot.com/
Now, that she has received it I can post a pic. I'm happy that she likes it. I was worried, then after seeing the one she made me I got real worried. But she said it was her and it screamed her name. So that made me feel better. This was a fun swap and all the little mini's are just amazing. The ladies on the HGTV have incredible talent. I'm going to keep joining this swap, I want a mini from all of them, and it wouldn't hurt my feeling to have two from each of them. Having these mini's on my wall mean so much to me. The are all so unique and inspiring. I just love being surrounded by them while I'm back there sewing, which is where I spend a lot of my time. Here's a link to all the mini's in the 2nd swap Holee has hosted. She has a link to the first mini swap photo too, in her side bar. I see she doesn't have all the mini up yet but they should be headed to their new homes and added soon. Thanks Holee for hosting these fun swap. After getting the top done I could not figure out how to quilt this thing. The hexagons were very small making the seam allowances bulky and hard to sew through. So, I asked Lois(bluesnail) if she had any ideas and she had a wonderful idea which I knew a soon as she told me would be perfect. I have a real hard time quilting mini's because of the bulkiness. But she made it easy for me. She suggested tying the center of the flowers to make it look like stamen. and then just hand quilt around the bottom of the fence and around the outer edge of the applique & flowers. So that's exactly what I did.

Look at this Mini quilt

I received the most incredible mini quilt today from my partner Shawana. I was going to wait until I could get a better pic, because the wind kept trying to sweep it away but I just have to share her beautiful work. Remember the other day I said I just has this feeling it was special, well I was almost right it is special but I think it is more then special, it's absolutely the prettiest mini. I could not believe my eyes when I opened it. I was just in total shock, speechless and in awe. This is a tresure for sure. I'm going to have it framed. I would just die if it got one speck of dirt on it. Words can't describe how lovely this is. Click the pic and you will get a close up and see all the incredible details. I just can't stop looking at it.

Time for the tooth fairy

Isn't she so cute without her tooth. She so excited about the tooth fairy, she might actually go to bed on time tonight. I had to run down and snap a few shots when she called me with her exciting news. She also went for her appt. today and they are trying to fit her surgery in the first part of this month, were expecting the call from the Doc in 5 days. She's so brave, wish we were.