One more and I'll be done

And believe me, it can't come too soon!!!I think I'm all mug-rugged out!!! I did finish my birdies, and the one for my #2 swap partner, but I have one to go for a private swap with a real novice quilter and she asked that I do hers in natural earth toned colors.......(obviously she doesn't know me too well, huh???) Poor girl! I don't think I own any earth toned fabrics unless you want to count the colors in my happy world and those are hardly earth toned!! Needless to say, I am not running out for more fabric which I'll probably never use, so I either have to search my basement bins high and low, steal some from my friends or switch her thinking. (Guess which one I'm planning???) I'm so bad!!! I have some ideas, but who knows? In the meantime, I'll show you the two last birds and the mug rug I finished yesterday for swap partner #2.

I made that one doubled, so this is the back:

Did you check out that fancy-schmancy curved piecing on that one? Pretty cool, huh?

I sure wish the last one was done. Hopefully tomorrow! Then, I think I'll take a bit of a break and clean my filthy house before I get into the next marathon. LOL

Twittering and Tweeting

I don't twitter, but recently been tweeting, but not in the sense you'd think. Lately, I seem to be possessed by funky birds in my brain and until they "fly" out, I'm a crazy woman. Now, when this happens, (and it has happened before with stuff), I find it better to just let it run it's course and get it over with. So far, I've done 7 and I'm not sure how many I'll be able to show you 'cause I don't know how many downloads are allowed, but here goes:

Whew! Looks like they're all here so far. Now, to do the last two. I think there are two more in my brain......at least for now. Then, I'm going to need a break. I've been sewing non-stop for days and my house shows it. Poor thing! I also bought paint for my laundry room.....so guess where I'll be soon????? Incidentally, all the above are 6 inches square and are intended to be a set of mug rugs........I was thinking though that they sure would make a cute little quilt, huh?

A jar of WHAT?????

I have the BEST friends!!! A few weeks ago, I gave both Susie and Shirley (my wonderful quilting friends) each a jar of my homemade garlic dill pickles and today when we met for lunch, Susie (the sweetie) brings my jar back filled with the most delicious black and white fabrics you can even imagine...........sooooo fun!!! I'd say that's a pretty good trade, huh???? Just look at them!! I wonder what I can make next to give her?? :D

Yum! Now to decide what to make.................although my head has been spinning lately with the possibilities for more mug rugs, I must admit. I've been itching to get back to them, but first I knew that I had to make the projects I had planned for the Christmas Swap. I knew that they were involved and more than a few days work and that I should get them out of the way before I really became involved in the little (immediate gratification type) things. So, this weekend and yesterday, I finished them:

Now, to pray that my swap partner likes them. (Fingers and toes crossed!!) I'm also sending the scraps and a charm pack of the same fabrics so she can make herself a little quilt to match if she wants.

Oh...remember me telling you about the secret little quilt I made and couldn't show before she got it? Well, here it is and I hope you think it's as funny as I do. My partner likes blue and I AM NOT a blue girl by any stretch of the imagination, but I thought I did okay using some, but still adding my humorous touch. What do you think?

The theme was "fussy cut" and I think I did good! Lots of fussy cut stuff in that quilt and it's smaller than it looks at 8 1/2 by 11 1/2 inches. Check out the cool binding! Fun, fun!!!

So.......that's it for now!! I'm going to PLAY for a few days making mug rugs! I sure hope I can come up with some good ones?? Send out some creative vibes for me, okay???

No, I'm not Dead

Actually, I do feel like it sometimes though, I have to admit. I've been busy, but again......sigh......I cannot show you what I've been up to yet. It's these crazy swaps where you know your partner. Now, I really don't think my partner for the STUD group reads my blog, but you just never know. We were instructed to do a "fussy" cut quilt and I really did have fun with that. I'll probably be able to show you early next week when she gets it. Until then, I MUST show you something near and dear to my heart. One of the swap mamas in DQS made all of the rest of us mamas wonderful gifts. She is an amazing quilter and is known for her quilted chairs. Only special people are blessed with them and I am so honored to be one of them!!!!! If you visit her stream, you will see how each one was specifically designed for the receiver. Amazing!!! I can't wait to show you:

And check out the detail:

Note the favorite reds, and whites? And she put a colonial/french knot on each of the dots on the seat of the chair and swirl quilted it too because she knows I love swirl quilting. Isn't it just the best???? I love it!!! And I'm so happy I can show it to you.

I also received another little goodie the other day and I don't think I've shown you this either. A cute little pin cushion turtle from Betty......my swap partner in the pincushion pass. E-gads, it's a wonder I can keep all these straight!

I just had to take a pic in it's natural environment. LOL My dog wondered what the heck I was doing and was sure that I was playing with a toy for her! Crazy! Anyway, that's the news of the day. Today, I'm working on a Christmas tree skirt for another swap. Can you believe? I even had to get out my pattern to refresh my memory since it's been so long since I've made one. Duh!!! Have a great weekend!!!! Sew something fun!

A New Passion

Yup, I have a new passion and it's not something really different, but I am in love.......and you'll never guess either!!! Really, you'll never guess!! I'm loving making (drumroll please....ta-da) funky birds! What, you say, funky birds? What the heck are funky birds? Well.......funky birds are just that....funky birds! I must admit it sort of started with my "chickenfoot" quilts, but now I've expanded my horizons into more than baby chickens.......'course, I really have no idea what kind of birds they are 'cause they're the furthest thing from a any living real bird on earth!!! In fact, I am unable....YES, unable to draw real birds. They are apparently not in my repertoire, BUT I am doing okay with my funky ones. Let me show you.

First, this mug rug can't be shown in its entirety because if I let you see the name, the surprise will be gone and I can't have that!!! E-gads, I should give away a secret??? Heavens, NO! You'll just have to imagine:

I had such fun making that bird, that when my swap mama suggested a private swap, I jumped on the chance just so I could make another one. I made her rug yesterday and I got so excited I couldn't wait until she got in the mail to show everyone so I had to post it right away. (I guess I'm not such a good secret keeper anyway, huh???) Note the flower pot is her first name:

Now I want to do a whole series. In all sorts of colors! Those little things are only 5 1/4 inches by 7 1/4 inches so not as big as they look. Think they could be called big coasters???? Wouldn't a set of 4 be cute?? Ummmmm.......who else is on the swap list that I still need to do.....hummm???

On Dasher, On Dancer......

I know, I know, you're probably saying, "now what is this crazy lady doing?" Well, there is this scrappy pincushion swap going on you know, and I do have to make a pincushion. AND, I do like to be different, as you ALL know.....so it should be no surprise that I jumped the holiday gun and made something that I have yet to see in that swap............A Reindeer! How do you like that?

Well, I bought all the stuff for it before I had the pattern, so when I got that, I thought I might as well use everything (after all, waste not, want not like the old saying goes) so I just kept going assembly line style and low and behold, what did I end up with but the whole team!!!

Poor thing does look a bit distressed with all those pins sticking out of his cheeks, I must admit!!! Maybe I should have made a cat!!! The pins could have been whiskers! Oh well! Too late now! If nothing else, I'll use mine for a little decoration (if I don't forget where I put it by then. LOL) The rest will go to friends.....OR.......maybe a give away??? You never know!

Ugh!

I'm feeling like a poop lately! I really don't know if I'm all pooped out from the pressure of the doll swap and making so many quilts, or if it's because I feel as though I have lost my creativity. I just can't (for the life of me) come up with anything unique and clever. (I do have a reputation to uphold, you know???) E-gads! I hope I haven't "lost" it! I mean, there is the mug rug swap and the scrappy pincushion swap going on (I hope I didn't mix up those links.....e-gads! Now that I finally figured out how to link, I think I'm a hot shot, you know?) that I am in and I am expected to perform!!!!! BUT, I sit here and think instead! Last night in the middle of the night I think I might have the answer for the mug rug swap.....unfortunately, I won't be able to show you until she gets it, or it'll ruin the surprise. (If I can even do it. Time will tell!) And as far as the pincushion thing.......I still have about 7 left over from last time, so if I get desperate, I'll just use one of those.

In the meantime though.......never fear. I do have two new mug rugs to show you:

Did you check out that crazy quilting? Hey, a little swirl here and there and it might even look like I know what I'm doing...LOL........and then this one:

Did you note that crazy background fabric? I was hoping to interest the Explore people, but no such luck!!! Phooey! No matter......I like it much better as a wall hanging anyway, don't you?

Where should I start?

I have so much to say today....(actually, my friends would tell you that I have a lot to say everyday, but we won't go there. LOL Sometime I might tell you why I almost got kicked out of my LQS this week because I was so "lippy".) Anyway, I'm happy to report that I got my doll quilt from my partner the other day. Surprisingly enough, I had her name and she had mine. Who would guess? (Easy job for the swap mama though, don't you think???) She also sent me tons of goodies and I felt like it was Christmas here. If you recall, I sent her this and she sent me this beauty:

So that one is finally winding down after almost 3 months and I'm glad. I'm kind of "doll quilted out". Before I stopped though, I was asked to make an angel quilt for a wonderful quilter for a group where I'm a member but had never participated. At first I was a bit miffed, but I really wanted to make another crayon quilt anyway after that one time and since the theme was landscapes and the requester asked me to make something whimsical, I thought it might be fun to combine the two so this is what I came up with:

I called it, "Somewhere Under the Rainbow"......she is a Wizard of Oz nut so it was a bit of play on words. (I'm so clever, don't cha know?)

Anyhow, that's not all. I'm in that new goofy mug rug swap you know and I thought I really should get myself a mug so if someone wants to make me something matchy-matchy (which I really like, as you all know), they could. I love it:

Now, if I EVER do decide to get off the Diet Pepsi bandwagon and drink something more age appropriate, I'll have a pretty mug that goes with sooooo many holidays. Cool, huh? Besides, I love polka dots!!!

So, that's the news. I've made a few other things, but you'll have to wait for those. In the meantime, I'll post the Monster Cookie recipe. I know many of you wanted it. Enjoy!