Whooping It Up Week! A Give Away to Celebrate!

This week there were a couple of little surprises for me that gave rise to whooping it up!! It wasn't due to anything I did or accomplished much in the way of sewing or quilting because I was steep into taking care of client's stuff, stuff being reports and budgets this past week.

Karen from Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild asked if she could feature the Raggedy Ann and Andy dolls that I shared during "Share and Tell." Practically jumping up and down I said of course! Want to read more about it you can find the story here by clicking on the button below. 

On the sidebar there are buttons that link to various progress
blog messages about the Rag Dolls.

Woohoo!! I won, I won!

 Lily Pad Quilting hosted Pets On Quilts in August and I was 1 out of 26 who won in their drawing of many sponsored quilting goodies.  

What did I win?

A Stack of 40 precut 10" squares of Bali Crackers - Rum Raisin by Hoffman

Isn't this gorgeous batik fabric?

I am still waiting for delivery. I was contacted earlier in the week by a Hoffman representative letting me know it was being mailed this week.

Maybe today I hope?

This morning I finished the modern Andy Outfits for the 15 inch  and 20" dolls. Below are photos of  the companion clothing for 15" and 20" Raggedy Ann and Andy.

Adorable? Yes!

I managed to add the frames to the star blocks during my busy, busy week! More whooping!

On my dog tired days when I was too tired to sew I pinned an assortment of quilts on display. Inspiration set in. I took a few of the quilts made and displayed across the stair banner. A friend of mine has been asking, "How many quilts have you made? not once but twice. Both times I stated, I don't know I have lost count! Need some ideas on how to display? If so check out my "Quilt Board Display" on Pinterest.

Since it has been a Whooping Up week I thought I would celebrate with a giveaway!

What am I giving away?



Simple Vintage Jellies from JoAnn Fabrics.
There are 20 pieces of pastel florals, stripes and other designs in this roll.

And because it is the reason for the season

 A Bunny Hill Design Pumpkin Pie Pattern
To see the entire pattern go to Bunny Hill Designs

The pattern comes with black and orange checked ribbon, a bunny button and the teeniest tiniest round orange buttons. 

The giveaway begins today September 7th and will run until September 14th.
The drawing will occur on Sunday, September 15th.

So here are 4 opportunities on how to submit your name for the drawing.

• 1. Connect via Bloglovin, Google Connect or your favorite way to follow. Please tell me that you have and how you are going to follow.
• 2. Visit my recently opened "My Etsy Shop." Come back and tell me what you like best.  Please consider following me on My Etsy Shop (this is not a requirement). Since I am so new I need help as to not look so lonely there. :)
• 3. Visit Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild's blog and come back and tell me that you have visited it.
• 4. Answer the 4 simple questions in the survey regarding Raggedy Ann and Andy preferences. Your answers will help guide me. After you have taken the survey please come back and tell me you did take the survey. Click here to take survey

Thanks for visiting and whooping it up with me! 

Linky parties to go to this week. 

Sew Darn Crafty at Sew Many Ways, Anything Goes at Stitch by Stitch, Craftastic Monday at Sew Can Do, Freemotion at the River-Linky Tuesday, Fabric Tuesday at QuiltSory, Sew Cute Tuesday at Better Off Threads, Show and Tell Tuesday at I have to Say, WIP at Freshly Pieced, We Did It Wednesday at Sew Much Ado, WIPS on Wednesday at Esther's Blog, Thursday Threads at 627  Handworks, Needle and Threads at My Quilt Infatuation, and 
TGC - The Creative Girl.
Buttons to the linky parties are here.

Lovely Year of Finishes - September 2013

This morning I realized I missed checking in at month end yesterday with a Lovely Year of Finishes. Did I finish what I had set out to do? About 3/4 of the way. This is what I had planned to finish:

1. Quilting and Binding  the Craftsy Block of the Month - Finished!
2. 3 sets of Raggedy Anns and Andys each in a different size. Not Finished! The 25" set is completed but the 20" and 15" dolls are not. Clothes are ready for all sizes and more than planned.

September 2013 Goals

• Complete one 15" set of Raggedy Ann and Andy and  two sets of 20" Raggedies (I have a custom order for a traditional set. (Yippee!)

• Complete Modern Stars quilt. Blocks were won in a swap at the Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild about one year ago. Progress is in different stages. The first is testing how the Fun Done technique (QAYG) will look. I am overall pleased with the Fun & Done technique but will be ripping out one of the edges to straighten it up a bit. I used a steel spatula to iron the edges over. Not the most ideal tool to use so I will be making a trip to my LFS to purchase a light weight metal sleeve ruler hopefully today! Yesterday's accomplishments were sewing the inner white borders on the star blocks.

Close up of two quilted blocks joined together.  

I am still debating whether to rip out the horizontal lines on the one star. It was an effort to differentiate these two Ohio Stars. I didn't take note that both of these stars were the same. All the other stars are different star patterns.

• Complete 3 sets of 25" Traditional Raggedy Ann Clothes. Dresses are completed and one pair of pantaloons. This will entail completing 3 aprons and 2 pairs of pantaloons.

•  Make at least two more 25" dolls (just the bodies) out of this big basket

• Cut baseball t-shirts and stabilize them. Most likely October will be a more reasonable time to complete the quilt top.

 Are these lofty goals? 

Maybe so but at least something to shoot for!

If anything it at least assists in organizing me in completing 

those Works in Progress.

Thanks much to Shanna at Fiber of all Sorts and Melissa at Sew BitterSweet Designs

for hosting Lovely Year of Finishes! Their challenge does assist in getting those WIPs done. Though I didn't accomplish my August goals at 100% I am whooping it up with what I did finish!

Not part of my goals last month but was accomplished!! -  opening up My Etsy Shop. 

That is worth whooping up about since it has been one of those things I have been wanting to do.

Thanks for visiting and looking in.

I am linking up with the following:

• Stitch by Stitch (Marelize in South Africa)
• Linky Tuesday with Freemotion by the River  
• Fabric Tuesday with  Quilt Story
• Sew Cute Tuesday with Better off Threads
• Sew Can Do 
• Freshly Squeezed Fabrics

Fun and Done!

Blocks shown are ones received from a block swap at the Charlotte Modern Quilt Guild. I won these along with 14 other star blocks. Fabric used is Echo by Lotta Jansotter, a fabric line that seemed to be the craze last year. Taking the blocks received I added white frame borders and another border using Denise Schmidt fabric to add more interest.  

These blocks had been on my design board for a long time as I was not able to come up with something to pull these blocks together other than let them float. My husband walked in and I asked him if he thought it needed a tad more color and he agreed that they did. Though I was also given fat quarters along with the blocks I didn't have enough so off to my local fabric store I went look for something that would work.

I happened to have some  leftover Hobbs Heirloom Fusible 80/20 batting by Harriet Hargrave. This was perfect. Cutting the batting to match the size of the block I pressed the batting to the block. For the backing I cut a piece that was 7/8" larger on each edge and pin basted it to the block top and batting. I did this sitting down at my sewing table (backside that has a leaf) rather than crawling on the floor. That was a major plus for me!

My plan is to quilt them as I go using the Fun and Done way. I wasn't up to quilting another full quilt on my domestic machine having just finished up one. Dragging and shifting the quilt is hard work. Once each block has been quilted a seam will be sewn by having the backsides facing each other leaving the seam on the front side. The seam will then be folded and stitched down.

The picture above is pinned to show the results of the backing edges turned under. It creates a seamed white sashing.  
     
I am so happy that another WIP is moving closer to being finished!

Linking up with:

Sea of Red

I always make such lofty goals. I really thought I would be able to squeeze in a quilt block or two after putting together my first order of Raggedy Ann and Andy clothes this past weekend.

She wanted traditional. I had quite a few in her requested size cut out that I thought I might as well make them up in assembly line fashion. Working in this manner vs. one item at a time you can accomplish more  sewing in less time.

I never did begin the quilt that I had hoped, and didn't finish all the Raggedy clothes.

I entertained myself by watching the first year season of  Wild at Heart on Netflix.  There are a total of ten. When I am tired I found watching these shows spurred me on to keep on going. This series    began in 2006. Where have I been?  This was the first I had ever come across this show. Anyways, the pictures show what I did accomplish this weekend.

Dresses -  one is with little flowers and the other mini hearts!

Apron Bow

His and Hers in traditional style.

Once I finish the outfits I will begin with the dolls.

Recipe

Here is a recipe for one of my favorite breakfasts.
Enjoy!

1 3/4 cups flour
1/2 cup raisins or currents
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 container (8ounces lemon, orange or plain low-fat yogurt) My favorite is orange
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray round pan, 9 x 1 1/2 inches, with nonstick cooking spray. Mix flour, currants, baking powder, baking soda and salt in medium blow. Mix yogurt and oil; stir into flour mixture until flour is moistened.

Spread dough in pan. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Recipe is from Betty Crocker's New Eat and Lose Weight 

page 202.

Happy quilting and sewing!

If you haven't already done so check out my new Etsy Shop. :) I only have a few items with more to come with various items. Currently showing are a completed set of 25" Raggedy Ann and Andy and 3 quilts.

Linking up with:

Ann Meets Andy

Andy is looking quite smitten don't you think?
Ann is looking quite pleased!

Not only are their hearts throbbing so is mine. I was quite tickled how cute Andy is looking. He was finished and arrived on the scene early this morning!

Here is Miss Raggedy Ann in the beginning stages .
Further along she was looking quite pretty here.
And finished but waiting for Andy here.

These sweet lovers will be going in my Etsy Shop.

I am linking with: