Am I wrong?

This morning, I sat in a meeting from 8:30 AM until 12:15 PM, a succession of people from across the University making 20-minute presentations to a group of us, one after another. I came prepared with some hand quilting to keep me focused. However, one of my co-workers looked at me askance and said, "Are you really going to quilt while the President is talking?"

I thought nothing of it - when my hands are focused on quilting, my mind can zero in on what is being said. The same is true if I'm watching TV; without something for my hands to be doing, my mind often wanders (or shuts off and I start to snooze). But it made me wonder, was that rude of me? Would YOU bring handwork to a presentation, whether it be quilting or knitting or embroidery? Would you be offended if someone were doing handwork while you were giving a presentation? Inquiring minds want to know!


By the way, I got a block quilted on my 4th of July Tablerunner during the meeting - 3 blocks down, 2 blocks and the border to go. At this rate, it might actually be ready for next 4th of July! I'm not sure why I am quilting a tablerunner so heavily...


I also received some squishy mail earlier this week, some early birthday love from Char at Cloth Stitched - lovely fabric and a sweet handmade card. Thanks, Char!

Baby on the brain

Not only am I pregnant, my younger sister had her first baby last week. Meet my new nephew, Dorian - isn't he a cutie!

So, I definitely have babies on the brain. Yesterday, I wanted a quick project, and bibs seemed like a good place to start. I've never made one before, but I have so much novelty fabric and they seemed pretty quick and easy...


I particularly like the one with all the kids eating.


With the fourth of July coming up, I'd love to start having some seasonal decorations around the house. Other than Jason's Halloween quilt from last year, I don't have any seasonal decorations. Inspired by something I saw on someone's blog (and can no longer find to reference!), I threw together this table runner, which I hope to quilt during my next road trip and then bind in red.


I'd like to make some placemats as well. I have to admit, now that I have a funtioning sewing machine to use, I've been neglecting my hand projects. I'm still quilting my Bright Futures quilt, but I got quite a bit done at the drive-in movie last night (Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Letters to God, but I was exhausted and we had to leave after the first feature), and I have a doctor's appointment on Monday, so I'm likely to get some stitches done then. Plus, I still haven't sandwiched and tied my Orphan Block quilt. So much to do, so little time...

Rewards - for me and for you

Finally, a day off! Two in a row, actually. Saturday was super busy, with Jason and me testing for our Green Belts in Karate in the morning, followed by Jason's first basketball game, then a trip to the store for groceries and hurrying home to listen to my husband's game on the radio. It was all fun, but it was all a bit exhausting, too, so today, I vowed to not leave the house, my reward for making it through the 12 days straight of work and a day of family time.

First, I finished reading Talk Before Sleep. If you need a good cry, this is your book. If you want to reflect upon the strength of friendships, this is your book. If you are fresh out of tissues, don't even crack open the cover.

Then, I decided to try to make something small, something for me. I see people making tablerunners all over the place, maybe I could do that. I started with a quilt-as-you-go technique with strips - pink and white and red for Valentines Day.

Kinda blah. I feel like it needs something. Perhaps some colorful freehand hearts?

Not really feeling that either. I've set it aside to let it marinate for a while.

Then I found this photo of a quilt I had cut out of somewhere at some time.

I don't really need a whole quilt of pumpkins, but a few on a tablerunner would be fun, right? And I have all these small plaid scraps I've been wanting to use in something. So, I threw this together.

Yeah, the color of the pumpkins isn't right, and you can't even tell they are pumpkins at this point, but I am hoping that quilting will help that. The little 1" x 2" flying geese are made the 3-dimensional way with just one seam, fun for a tablerunner, but probably not so great on a bed quilt - they make for some really thick seams.

So, I came up here to the computer to share the fruits (or vegetables?) of my labor with you, and saw that this is post #100 for me. Isn't that a milestone of some sort? Everyone else has giveaways, I should do one, too. After all, I have gained so much from the world of quilting, and from this blog - new friends, inspiration and encouragement, squishy mail, hours of entertainment - that I should give something back.

But what do I have that anyone else would want? (besides my adorable children, but they are definitely not up for grabs!) I'm not prolific enough to have made anything that I could give, and most of my fabric is scraps. Although, there is that one tub of yardage in the closet...

So, from the days before my self-imposed no-buy, I present you with some of my favorite fabric that I bought with no purpose in mind. It has just been languishing in a dark closet, waiting for inspiration from me to transform it into something special. As a thank you for reading my blog and enriching my creative life, I invite you to leave a comment, with the possibility of winning your choice of one of the following:

1 1/2 yards of Dragons Dancing (I've already made two projects with this fun fabric)

1 yard and a couple inches of SpringView (I can't quite figure out how to use this diagonal print)

1 1/2 yards of this multicolored Yoshiko fabric with golden highlights

2 yards of this Bethany Reynolds Stack-n-Whack fabric (I keep meaning to do one of those)

2 1/3 yards of Jane's Exotic Garden (I can't bring myself to cut into it, perhaps you can)

1/2 yard each of 6 different Stix and Stones fabrics (I had planned to make something bright and graphic, but I haven't gotten to it yet)

I know everyone has different tastes, so I tried to pick some distinct options to choose from. I absolutely love all of these fabrics, which is why I am offering them here - what is the sacrifice if I give something I don't like? All the fabrics are 100% cotton and pre-washed. All have wrinkles because I don't iron much unless I am actually creating with that particular fabric. All are from older fabric lines - I think the most recent purchase was two years ago. My home is smoke-free, and my sewing studio is pet-free, for those of you with allergies.

If you see something you like, leave a comment letting me know which one you prefer, and I will pick a winner at noon EST on Tuesday, January 26 (something to look forward to to break up the work day). If there is something you REALLY want, blog about me and leave another comment, and I'll give you another chance. You do not need to be a follower to win - if you are like me, you are already following more blogs than you can possibly keep up with.

I hope your weekend was a wonderful as mine!