Blog-Following Fun

This week I'm starting my first "Mystery Quilt."  This is run through the blog Meadow Mist Designs.  We will periodically be given a portion of instructions for the quilt -- but we don't know what the finished quilt will look like from the beginning.  This week I am picking out fabric, which is always a fun challenge.  But it's even more challenging when you don't know what you're making!  This should be interesting.  It only requires 4 fabrics or 4 groups of fabric. I am trying to use what I already have.  Here are a couple options I am wondering about:

Also, I have neglected to share that I won a few prizes recently!  These were all random drawings (a prize was offered to those who commented on their blog post.)  I can't believe how lucky I have been and want to acknowledge these generous people -- even if it is only to my 5 followers. Haha.

First of all, I won an awesome box of thread from Aurifil!  This was won in last quarters Finish-Along at On the Windy Side.  For those of you who do not sew, you may not realize that this gift is worth over $100.  Nice!  This is actually my preferred brand of thread for my machine.  How lucky!

Also, I have won a few books -- including The Paper Pieced Home, from a giveaway at Cut to Pieces.  Such cute things!  I was interested in this book because I've been wanting to do a little more paper piecing.  It has a lot of cute patterns and gift ideas -- gifts for people who garden, cook, or just like a Retro look.

I also won the book Quilting the New Classics by Michele Muska.  This book highlights particular quilt blocks and then has a classic quilt pattern and a modern quilt pattern for each block.  I like many of the quilts in this book, particularly the modern versions.  My favorite in this book is the modern Bear Paw quilt.  I think it would be awesome for some nature-loving man out there.

Lastly, I won an Ebook called Quick Change: Refresh a Room Fast with Quilted Bed Runners from a comment I posted on Blue is Bleu.  I was excited to win this because I like the idea of having some useful, smaller projects to make (ones that I am willing to quilt on my own home machine.)  And to change the look of your bedding seasonally sounds fun.

So isn't that cool?  A lot of fun things to enjoy.

Well, I must get off because my son and his friend are having an ongoing argument about what to play -- Batman or Star Wars?

End of School Year sewing

I haven't posted much about sewing lately -- I am kind of in the middle of several things.  I need to finish something by the end of this month so I can accomplish at least some of my Quarter 2 WIP goals!  I am trying to decide on backing for this one....and working on another using the same Falling Charms pattern from Missouri Star.

 

I have spent some time sewing up gifts for my kid's teachers.  I always feel hesitant about teacher gifts -- my mom was an Elementary teacher and I can remember her coming home with her end-of-school gifts.  I know she was grateful for being thanked...but I'm not sure she used all those knick-knacks or ate all that candy.  So with that in mind, I'm always over-thinking teacher gifts.  But I am so grateful for their hard work and positive influence on my kids, and I hope they know they are appreciated!

For Andrew and Eric's teachers I made little zip pouches.  I haven't made many of these.  I followed an online tutorial, which I would site but don't even know if someone would want me to since I kind of messed them up.  :(  I didn't do the zipper tabs quite right, so the ends ended up being a little bunchy.  These aren't the ones I end up giving the teachers either -- I actually made two more because I couldn't get those tabs right!  Unfortunately these were done a couple weeks apart and by the time I made the second set I'd already forgotten what went wrong in the first place and I made the same mistake.  Ha.  But they are still functional and cute, and I hope the teachers can find something to do with them -- maybe they can fill them with those knick-knacks they receive from the kids! ;)

For Tanner's teachers I made some really cute Key Fobs.  I didn't take a picture beforehand, but they were very cute!  I want to make one for myself too.