Quick--easy--awesome--scarves as gifts!

SO, I've been a bad blogger of late and had so much to tell you, but then I figured no actually cared about our Halloween costumes any more, so I'll spare you the details.

Moving on!! I saw this tutorial on One Flew Over, and thought it looked like a quick and easy project and I was right! I made 7 scarves yesterday! I love them! I've already got plans to get some more linen, since I've used all I bought yesterday!! Great way to use up those scraps! Most are Kaffe Fasset, but a couple are Amy Butler scraps--don't know which I like better, but these seem the perfect pay-it-forward prize that I need to be getting in the mail!!

I also made a scarf out of vintage hankies that I'm giving away! Six of the vintage hankies that I won in Rosamund's giveaway last month went in to this delicate, lightweight beauty! Just leave me a comment to win! I'll draw a name on Wednesday, December 2nd and get it shipped to you in time for you to re-gift it for the holidays!!!(Of, course you could keep it all to yourself!)

My awesome husband just made me a custom sewing table that I'll be showing off as soon as I get it painted! I am so thankful to have a husband who not only loves and cares for us, but who gets excited at the prospect of making ME a sewing table! Coolest feeling in the world--and no amount of money could have gotten me a more perfect sewing table!

Pay it Forward!

Happy Wednesday to you all! I signed up for a pay it forward on Sherri's blog--so excited as she is so very talented and an incredibly prolific quilter! What this means for you is that the first three people that leave me a comment saying that they want to play will receive something handmade by me and in turn, have to offer a pay it forward on their blogs making handmade things for three people and on and on, etc!

You have 365 days to get their handmade item to them, but I highly recommend just getting it done--much more fun for everyone that way--so if you don't have time right now, consider waiting to sign up for another one later on so no one has to wait a long time!

I did one of these in the spring and gave away soaps, but this time, I'd like to sew something--mainly because I'm out of soap! Maybe a bag or something Christmassy!

I made these little wire pumpkins this week using the instructions here. So simple and I just love them!

I also made this(rather difficult) chicken wire basket--which seems to entertain me as much as burlap right now! Elaine(I'm pretty sure!) sent a copy of the magazine Mary Jane's Farm to me with my block from September and the baskets were featured in there. Pretty hard on my fingers, but I will be making at least one more of them! Maybe you would like one as a pay it forward?

I filled it with yarn to take a picture and Tade said, "When are you going to make my socks?" The kid doesn't miss anything! The green on top was picked out by him MONTHS ago for socks and I've STILL never made more than one sock for a pair. I've knit 4 socks, but I need 8. Need to get on that!

Edited to add:  Sorry all but the pay it forward is full!  Stop on over at Kerrie, Mountain Mama, San-Dee, or Suzanne's blogs to try to get in on theirs! (Do give them a chance to post about it first!)  And yeah--I know that's four not three, but I'm a sucker!

What happened to fall?

We've had such a strange year of weather. First lots of rain this summer and then an early cold front that gave us 14 degree weather and 4 inches of snow! I'm not prepared for this yet! We're burning through the wood pile at an alarming rate!



Last weekend I had three events that I needed to make cakes for--it got a little busy around here! 120 cupcakes and a mini-tiered cake for a Saturday wedding, a three tiered wedding cake for 80 of Saturday, and 48 cupcakes and 36 iced sugar cookies for a baby shower on Sunday. I had 49 pounds of sugar in my kitchen and I only have about 12 left. Makes my teeth hurt! And yes--that is 12 pounds of butter!



Here are some of the blocks I've received in my quilting bee--this is turning out to be so much fun! I still need 5 more quilters for the second bee if anyone is interested. E-mail me your address if you want to. I really need to get on this!


I finished this bag that I've had the fabric for for quite some time. I was still using the lime green and pink, so was glad to get something more appropriate for fall done! I've had a love affair with burlap for a while and was glad to use it in this project. There are some great colors of burlap out there--I think I need to incorporate some into my living room curtains!

Hope you all have a great week!

Quilting with Amanda Jean!

Over on Amanda Jean's blog you can see more pictures of the amazing quilt that she has made as the grand door prize for those attending our quilting retreat November 6-8 at The Inn at City Park in Fort Collins, CO.

Several of her commenters have asked questions, so I'm going to try to answer them here.

Do we still have room?

Yes, we have room for about 5 more quilters.

Do you have to stay at the inn?

Absolutely not--if you are local or know someone in the area, we have a discounted rate that still includes the meals and workshops, but no bed!

What is the nearest airport?

Denver International Airport is about a 50 minute drive. Sweet talk me and I will arrange for transportation!!!

The prices are really reasonable for what you get--not to mention the chance to win this AMAZING quilt or a one night's stay at the inn plus lots of other fun things that I'm currently working on! I am a trained chef, so the food will be incredible(not to toot my own horn or anything!); it should just be an amazing weekend with lots of quilting, laughing and making new friends!

Feel free to ask me more questions in the comment section and I will answer them ASAP--Like AJ said--Only 6 more weeks!!!

I, for one, cannot wait to quilt with Amanda Jean!

Fall is in the air!

I signed up for a summer mini quilt swap--my first of it's kind, and finally finished the mini quilt. Now that's it's fall, it doesn't seem right that I'm mailing a summer quilt, but my swap partner is in Texas and it probably still feels like summer there!


My co-innkeeper Alexis drew this picture on our chalkboard at work. We try to put fun quotes and seasonal pictures up there regularly and this one just spoke to me!

I don't know if you can read it but it says, "Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability," by Sam Keen. So with the imagery of an afternoon in a hammock with a book and iced tea, I made a quilt that looks just like it!


I tea stained it and kept it wrinkly to give it a vintage feel. I left all the applique edges raw and then washed it to give the edges a frayed look and to give the piece some depth. I'm very happy with how it turned out!


The chickens are getting bigger all the time. They are so funny and have little personalities and quirks that constantly make us giggle!


New jammie pants for my little man--I love making these, they're so stinking fast!

Blocks are arriving from my quilting bee--I've gotten Jenny and Victoria's--Thank you!! I'll show you as soon as I have a few more!

I'd like to start a second bee if anyone is interested. I still need 6 more quilters to fill it up! If you want in, please e-mail me your address, so I'll know you're committing!

The Bee Balm quilting bee

I have belatedly gotten my fabrics together for my new quilting bee and they will be going in the mail tomorrow! I've been wanting to join a bee for a while, just never found one looking for people, so I decided to start my own! I'm so glad I have and I might have enough for another, just need a few more people!


Amanda Jean is making a quilt like Ingrid Press's and even though I thought I wanted wonky log cabins or some such, as soon as I saw her block I knew I had to do these houses! I've been stashing 30s repro fabric for a while and going round in circles as far as what to do with them, but this is it!

In other news there's a great giveaway of some embroidery goodies here! Check it out!

I've got chickens!

My dear, sweet husband built me a chicken coop for our 5th anniversary and yesterday we filled it up! I'm so excited--they are just too stinking cute!

We got two Buff Orpingtons(Buffy and Pecker(in honor of a dear friend--because chickens peck!)), two black sex-linked chicks(Monique and Unique), one Silver Wyandotte(Eagle), and one Rhode Island Red(Chicken Little).


Tade loves them so very much! It's so cute to watch. If all goes according to plan, we'll be getting 15-30 brown eggs per week beginning in late January. Hope I'm hungry!



I also received a swap package in the mail today. Thanks so much Solidia for such an awesome apron and package!

Here are the only confirmed quilters in the bee:

Bumble Beans
Yukon Viv
Solidia
Melina
San-Dee
Tara

This means I still need 6(!) to get this ball rolling. Some that had said yes have never gotten back to me so I don't want to count on them unless I hear from them. If you're interested, leave a comment letting me know and e-mail me your address. I have to hear from you in order to count you in! Invite your friends, invite your family, but invite somebody!

I still plan on having a giveaway of a bag made out of the curtains, but my sewing machine is in the shop, so SOON! (I hope!)