Quick Question

Has anyone made the Amy Butler laptop cover and/or mp3 case? I'm thinking of tackling it as a Christmas gift for my brother's girlfriend (it's OK, I am sure she doesn't read my blog!), and I wanted to know if anyone would give it a thumbs up / thumbs down before I invest $12 in the pattern.

If not this one, is there another laptop case or sleeve pattern around that people have had any luck with? Not a full laptop bag, but just a sleeve.

Suggestions welcome!!

Giveaway ...

... tomorrow!

In celebration of my passing 100 blog posts, I'll be participating in Sew Mama Sew's (or, in this case, Sew Papa Sew!) Give-away Day tomorrow. Check back to see what I'll be giving away!

Well, that is if I actually finish it ... which would explain why I'm still up at 1:45AM on a weeknight ... and worried about things like posting to my blog ... grrrrr ... ... ...

Doll Quilt Swap 5

Of the many swaps in which I've been participating these past few months, the Doll Quilt Swap is one of my favorites. It's amazingly well-run, many of my favorite quilters are regular players, and the creations are always unique, colorful, amazingly creative, and inspiring. I just wrapped up Doll Quilt Swap 5 and I am excited to show both what I sent and what I received.

First, take a look at the jaw-droppingly drool-worthy quilt I received from krom_mama:



This beautiful creation from Sarah is absolutely perfect for me ... perhaps because of the sneaky recon work she did ahead of time. She showed a few sneak peeks over on Flickr and tricked me into giving her my opinion (which, of course, was that I loved it), so she knew she was on the right track.

It's been living on the back of our chair-and-a-half until I get a chance to hang it. Looks right at home, doesn't it? And, as a bonus, it was appreciated as part of our Thanksgiving decor this past week. (Actually, this was our Thanksgiving decor ... but that's OK : ).


Thanks so much, Sarah! It will be cherished.

Now for what I sent off to my partner (who shall remain nameless until the package's receipt is confirmed) ...

I've had flying geese on the brain, mostly because of Amanda Jean & Sarah's Tokyo Triangles group over on Flickr. I was also inspired by a recent issue of American Patchwork & Quilting. I love this cover story Christmas quilt, and when my partner indicated that she would like a Christmas quilt, it all just clicked!

I started with 2 charm packs of the "Winter" line by Minick & Simpson for Moda. Turns out the charm squares were the perfect size to cut up for these flying geese units. I've really enjoyed seeing what different kinds of small quilts that I can make from charm packs ... they're affordable, and I really enjoy working with all of the different prints within a line.

I'm very happy with how this quilt came out. Quality-wise, I think it might be the best finished quilt I've made yet. I was even happy with my binding!

Once they knew there was a photo shoot going on, the kids wanted to get in on the act :

I wasn't quite sure how I wanted to quilt this one, but I wound up just following one of the patterns created by the flying geese and stitching in the ditch. I love how the zig-zag pattern came out on the back:


With the Christmas season upon us and a completed project in my hands, it was really difficult to convince myself that I did indeed have to put this one in the mail!

'Tis the season ... ?

Guess who we went to see last week?

Megan was ready to go as soon as it was our turn. She asked Santa for a drum set.

As soon as Bevin realized that this was her chance to ask for something for Christmas, she quickly got in on the act. Her request? A purple motorcycle and a purple helmet. Ummmm ...


Finally, Sean warmed up to the idea of sitting on Santa's lap. (Props to Santa, by the way, for fitting 3 kids on his lap!!) He asked Santa for a "bobot" (a hot word around here since Halloween). When Santa asked what kind of robot, Sean's simple reply was "blue".


I guess I could sound really old and say that Christmas comes earlier and earlier every year, but instead I'll choose to embrace the excitement and spirit of the Christmas season. It's been in the 20's and 30's here in NC, so why not?? It sure is beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Funny Photo Shoot

My, how quickly a nice photo op with dad ...


... can deteriorate into this:

(I can't believe I'm showing these on my blog!!)

SuperCrazyBusySwapMonth continues ...

Nothing of my own to show tonight, but I will show off two recent swap quilts that I have received in the past week.

First, a little quilt from Kimmie from the Swap 'Til You Drop group. The theme for November was two-color quilts. Kim stepped up to the challenge!

Here's a photo that Kim took that shows all of the other loot she included in the package.

I also received my ALQS2 quilt. This one came from one of few other male quilters that takes part in these swaps, Tanner. It was so great to receive something made by another guy quilter!

Tanner also included two pieces of really great fabric featuring dogs. I forgot to bring them when I took these pictures, but I'll try to photograph them soon.

Thanks, Kim & Tanner! I truly appreciate the hard work you've put into these beautiful quilts and I'll cherish what you made for me.

ALQS2 Quilt

It's been (and still is!) a very busy swap month. I've received word that another of my creations has reached its destination. Remember the 1974 quilt I shared a few weeks back? It's now in chilly New England with The Vermont Quilter (aka Dorothy).

Made from a charm pack of "1974" by Urban Chiks for Moda. I used Amanda Jean's Hourglass Tutorial and I love how it turned out ... although, as she warned in the tute, I had some issues with bulky seams.

Isn't the backing fabric the best? I purposely tried to center the little bird so that he didn't get lost in a seam!

To label this quilt, I used the design of the fabric to find a little spot to sign with my new Micron pigma pen. I'm still not sure how I feel about using a marker to write on my quilt -- it made me VERY uncomfortable and VERY nervous! -- but I think it was the best solution for this quilt.


Oh, I forgot to mention that this was part of Kate's Another Little Quilt Swap (round 2). I hope you enjoy this little quilt, Dorothy ... it was really hard letting this one go!!