Wow - Some Awesome Finishing & Awesome Stashing!

I have been stitching some, sewing some, reading some and writing a check for finishing...wish I could take the creative credit! 

I went on my first, ever quilt shop hop.  What a blast I had.  My friend Joan (one of that group I hang with whenever I can) and I could not go with the rest of the gals on Friday (drat that work).  So we ventured out on a misty Saturday.  Starting in Ann Arbor, we meandered until we were all shopped out! 

The first picture is of various fabrics I picked up at any one of the four shops.  I had a couple batiks in there, but mostly reproduction.

I have had my eyeballs on the quilt kit in the middle - that luscious stack of fabrics.  I can't remember the name of the quilt or the fabric line...I will give that to you when I cut into it and begin.  The book to the left had some really cool quilts that I'd love to make - SOMEDAY...I keep looking for "someday" on the calendar - haven't found it yet.  The tiny charm packs were Icicle Kisses by Kansas Troubles - Moda and were way.too.cute to pass up.  

The BBD first Loose Feathers from this year is out - my husband and I went to dinner at the Mexican place in front of my LNS - how convenient.  And guess what - they had my BBD chart, as well as, fibers and linen I needed for another project.  More on that later! 

 More shop hop fabrics - again, mostly Jo Morton.  That was the theme of the shop hop ... Journey to the Past.

These were the shop hop block kits.  I bought the finishing kit (to the left).  Each shop packaged them up a bit differently.  This will be a fun one to do, I'm thinking.

I have been stitching on quite a bit lately, in between reading, that is.  Oh yeah, and sewing.  I will post pics of the stitching next time as I really didn't have any good progress snaps. I finished the pinwheels and even put in my setting triangles with the pinwheels from the previous post.  I will be posting that soon.  I am thinking about taking it for custom quilting since it's pretty small and has 2.5 x 2.5 squares between the pinwheel squares.  I even mitered the corners, first time I did that.  May be the last!  I did that a Memory Manor during a one day quilt retreat last week.  Went there with Mary and Paulette - what a fun time that was.

I also put together a quilt I began about 10 years ago this fall.  How do I remember that, you may wonder?  I was at class on my 40th birthday.  I will be 50 this year.  I have blogged about it here and there; perhaps I will get it finished once and for all.  I have it put together with the first border.  Once I have the second border, I will try to remember to snap a pic before sending it to the quilter.

I started another of the Jo Morton Club 12 quilts the other night.  The LQS where I attend JMC 12 hosted  a sew-in Saturday.  I didn't finish anything worthy of pics; just a bunch of chained together pieces at this point.

Pictures of stitching to follow in next post, I promise!

So this weekend I received an email from Faye over at carolinastitcher telling me she had mailed me off some items I had sent to her for finishing.  It arrived tonight and let me say, I was so happy when I opened the box.  {edit - I have tried and tried tonight to get the link to work on her name http://carolinastitcher.blogspot.com with no luck} 

These are the four lovelies she made so much more than I could have imagined...!  I am bad - some of these are from a long time ago...so I don't know names or designers; but I will give it a shot.  The strawberries and birds - that wasn't so long ago I guess -  Needlework Press - freebie last year, Summer.  I did it with Belle Soie Tulip on a very random piece of linen from the depths of a drawer.  The robin was from one of the first retreats I attended probably 15 years ago.  It's a round robin by The Trilogy.  Didn't Faye just dress it up nicely, the wool leaves!

The two scissor fobs are so different but I love them both.  The strawberry came with the red scissors but check out the silver bead at the top.  And the cupcake is one of Amy Bruecken's designs.  So fun.  The scissors with that are perfect, pink case and all.  They were the gift from my sampler guild for completing this year's focus project (posted earlier - Margaret Cottam  by LaD Da).

Isn't that purple polka dot perfect!  Say that fast, five times.  The backing for the strawberry fob is so "me".

Inside the strawberry/bird is this - such a sweet wool heart with an equally sweet pin.  The backing fabric is perfect and the inside fabric - I gasped when I opened this beauty.

It doesn't show in the picture, but the gingham ribbon has a slight sheen and is quite lovely.  On the right side, where Faye's card is tucked, she stitched to have two pockets.  Perfect for the next little project.  I love, LOVE it, Faye!  Oh yeah, did you see the little silver bee on the bottom of the strawberry fob?

Tigers are on the t.v and winning {edit - so much can change while proofing...drat those Sox - now ahead by two in the bottom of the fifth - come on Tigers!!}...Cabrera hit a homer and in the fifth, they are beating the Sox.  I have to wrap this up.  I'd like to stitch tonight, but I don't think that's going to happen.  It's been a few whirlwind weeks at work and I am beat.  I finally have a handle on the insurance stuff, but now I have to catch up from all the piles that happened while dealing with open enrollment.  So far, so good on the work front.

Thanks again, Faye.  Hi to all my blog buddies - I have been keeping up with what's going on in your world, just not commenting as much lately.  Enjoy what makes you happy...until next time,

Smiles,
Sherry :o)