Slow Progress

This may look like a pile of fur to you, but it is progress to me! Thursday was a busy day with a hair appointment, my husband took me to lunch and AT&T and ordered a new phone for me, and I had some shopping I needed to do.  While I sat at the hairdressers, I worked on this tiny little guy.  I didn't want to stop, but she had to rinse the color out! I just get a few high and low lights, I am fortunate as I don't have any gray yet!!  

I am amazed at how many people like my teddy bears.  I sold three more today. I am shocked! I really need to get my backside into gear and get the orders filled! I sold two tiny ones and a 10" one. WOW! Makes me feel pretty good, I won't lie! I am going to start posting tutorials soon for bear making. This will make it easier for those making bears from my kits.

Today looks to be really busy too. The dogs get groomed, lizard sitting, and building kits for those who have ordered them. I am excited to get going. I also have tons of laundry to do and this house needs a serious clean! It is so easy to just play all day and let the dust collect. Why is that so???? I need to meet my goal for this week on the quilt. I am doing Bonnie Hunter's new mystery as well. She gives the first clue the day after Thanksgiving. I have the paint chips for color and need to start pulling scraps for that. I love her mysteries, they use all the scraps from the quilts I have already finished. 

For those of you who love it....Happy Halloween! We don't have children at home any more and don't celebrate it. Enjoy your day and be safe out there. 

Have a super day, don't forget to make time to do something you love. I am hoping to have pics of a pretty much finished bear tomorrow.

P.S. the scissors in that picture are 4-1/2" long...tiny bear!

quilt piece-fully,

Debi

Proud Great Grandma!!

As I write this post Maggie, our great grand-doggie, is delivering her first litter of pups. She is a mini dachshund and most adorable. She had five, all adorable. Mommy and puppies are doing well.  

We had a busy day with Mayo Clinic.  Shane thought he had another fractured vertebrae. His T7 and T10 are fractured, they are saying the cause is either chemo induced brittle bones or the kind of cancer he had and the surgeries he had to go through, he may not have gotten all the vitamins and minerals he needs. Either way, he has osteoporosis and takes meds for it. The x-rays showed no new fractures, we are VERY thankful. Thank you for praying for him, without the comfort of your prayers, some days would be unbearable.

I also have the teddy bear cut and fray stopped.  I wait for it to dry, then pin and sew. This one is another tiny one. I am using a four-piece body on this one (first time) and hopefully, I will have drawn this one as well as the shape on the bigger one. The legs are more proportionate to the body and the arms are wide at the top like the legs.  We will see how it looks as it is sewn. I also have my garnet sand on hand to fill it to give it a bit of weight. I am so anxious to see it all finished. I am sewing on the wedding ring while I wait for the Stop Fraying to dry. The quilt is coming along nicely. I am anxious to see it all put together as well.  Seems as if you sew small parts together until the end of time, then BAM it all comes together. There are almost 1400 pieces in the arcs alone, plus all the melons and centers. I am sure I will have around 2000 pieces in this one.  I have counted pieces in one of my scrappy quilts, it has over 5000, I guess I shouldn't complain with 1885, right!?!?!?! ( I just added the pieces on the pattern!!)

Need to finish this and get busy....well, I don't NEED to, but I want to. Have a great day. Post pics on the Facebook page, I love hearing from you and seeing what you are accomplishing. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you.

quilt piece-fully,

Debi

New Design

Hmmmm, I am not quite sure about this one.  I love the body, the head, the arms, but I think the legs are too short for the body, and the nose is too big. I can easily unpick the nose and do it again, just don't want to! It's a lot of work. I also had a hard time with the plucking. I stopped here as I cannot put it back! Shane likes him just like he is and feels the changes were for the good. What do you think?? Be honest, I am a big girl and I can take it!!

 

 

I think I may keep the body, lengthen the legs, widen the arms, and try again. Fortunately, this was an experiment and I used a small piece of leftover mohair from a different bear, so it wasn't a costly boo boo. 

I've started on the yellow and purple bear. I looked for some black to replace the purple for a true bumble bee effect, but I don't have any...go figure! I can't wait to start on the fur. It is all on paper right now. I think I am hooked again.....watch out! I will wait to see if I make a panda or a striped bear. Either way, I found these cute little wings and think I may make it an angel.  

On the quilting front, I found a BOM (Block Of the Month) by Jacquelynne Steves called Sew Sweet Simplicity.  It requires applique, which I DO NOT like, but she gives alternate approaches if you choose not to applique. I will either leave it blank or use my embroidery machine to dress it up.  It is really lovely and I can't wait to start it. She gave us the first block October 27, why don't you sew with me! jacquelynnesteves.com and choose the BOM tab.

Have an excellent day, take some time to do the things you love. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you.

quilt piece-fully,

Debi

So Far, So Good

It seems the new design is working out ok. I have the bear put together and it looks like the design changes are helping it look more like a bear. I made a four piece body vs. a two piece, giving me more control over the tail area, the podginess of the tummy, and gives a more rounded body. I also made the arms and legs shorter, which is one part I am not sure I like. The arms yes, but not sure the legs are proportionate to the overall size of the bear. I also made the foot pads more straight on one side, giving a definite left and right foot which I have never done before. As cute as this one is, it may not make it to the pattern stage without adjustments. Here I am plucking the fur from his nose so it doesn't stick out through the embroidery.

As I continued plucking, I soon realized you couldn't see his eyes and I needed to pluck higher on his "forehead". Don't look too closely at this picture or you will see I plucked a bit too hard right on the center of the nose seam and pulled out a couple stitches, an easy fix. I decided to stop here with the plucking and start with the embroidery before I go too far and regret it! I can always go back and pluck more later. Now I can see the eyes and choose a bit more of the facial expression. This "work" is way too much fun!

 

Now for the really exciting part, adding the individual look and character. Come back tomorrow morning for the finished product. Who knows where it will go from here. I can't wait to see. I think I will let him speak to me for a bit before I decide which direction his character will head.

Have a totally fantastic day. Thank you so much for your encouragement yesterday and the help with eye size along the way. I love being able to hear from you and change things right away. Keep those comments coming, negative and positive. We learn from our mistakes and become better at what we do, don't be afraid to tell me when it looks terrible!

Thank you again!

quilt piece-fully,

Debi 

Phew...

Sunday was quite a long day.  Shane holds a church service at a local RV park at 8:30 on a Sunday morning. We go straight from there to our Sunday School and morning worship. We also go back in the evening.  By the time we got home last night, we were both too tired to pop! I am not sure he can hold on to this Sunday schedule as he is still recovering from chemotherapy. I took care of the lizard by myself yesterday and got a couple pics for you to see. One with him on top of his cage. The other, when I am finally finished cleaning his cage and feeding him...he loves for me to pet him, he was trying to get me to stay for a while longer by holding my hand...such a sweet iguana! He even posed for the camera!

I am sad for Shane as we believe he broke yet another vertebrae. He has pretty bad pain in his neck, it hurts to move left, right, and down. He has an appointment with the specialist on Wednesday. He is pretty disappointed because it is the third one that we can't pinpoint a trauma that would fracture. The doctor says osteoporosis and put him on medication and vitamin D, so at least we are moving in the right direction. He had bone density scans, x-rays, and an MRI for the first two. I know more x-rays and other tests will be in order, I will keep you posted.

I did get an hour or so in the afternoon to work on my teddy bear.  I got all the bits and bobs done, but didn't get it put together, I plan to do that today. I can't wait to see how all my design changes affected the final look of this one. I will post a pic either later today or in the morning of the put together product. I still need to finish the tutu for Sallimae (Thanks to Sara for naming her!) and get that on her. She is so adorable. Little Mack (short for Mackenzie, our first granddaughter) is good with just her neck attire. Thanks for all your suggestions and comments along the way.

I will be working on the wedding ring quilt as well. I have a personal goal with that one and I WILL meet my goal!  Watch this space!

I hope your day is fantastic and you have a bit of time to do something you love. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you.

quilt piece-fully,

Debi  

Love the Bright Colors

I worked most of Saturday afternoon on finishing the Saturday Mystery.  We got the last clue in the morning, it was making the corner blocks and assembling the quilt.  I didn't see that finish coming.  I thought we would be making more blocks out of the smaller blocks, but they were the border, go figure!! I did rotate the colors though. It was designed to be white where mine is dark blue and vice versa (in the first border). It was also designed as a lap quilt, but I wanted it to be a twin bed size, so I increased the size of my borders and added the outside border. I am glad to have it finished. I had to stand on the piano bench to take the picture!!! At least I didn't get my toes in the pic!!

I used my morning to do the groceries, a manicure, and lizard feeding and care. I got the laundry done in the afternoon. I also heard from the ladies whom I altered the bridesmaids dresses for and everything was perfect! That really makes me feel good. I love helping people and I feel even better when it turns out better than expected.

 

Look what I found when sorting through the fur and paw pad fabric Thursday.....

I can see a purple and yellow panda in my future! Or maybe a bear with stripes like a bumble bee!! I can't wait to draw this one!

I think I will spend my afternoon finishing the hand-stitching on the bear I started Friday. All I need to stitch are an ear, the gusset in the head, feet pads, and assembly.  Should go quickly now. My morning and evening will be spent in church, I hope yours are too. Enjoy your day, take some time for yourself.

quilt piecefully,

Debi

 

A Bit of Everything....

Well, it is Saturday morning and you know what that means.....

No, I don't actually know what that means either, other than it is the weekend and cleaning day! Also, the Saturday mystery clue came out! The Monday mystery is completed, so I guess I will have to find another interesting project to do.  I continue to work on the wedding ring "lips" and centers. Here is my current pile of lips. This is really going to be a beautiful quilt.

I ordered some needles this week.  I don't think you can see the sizes in the photo, but the small one is 6" long.  The longest one in 12" (30cm) long! I use these to put the eyes through the head of my teddy bears.  I have some others but my longest one was 7". I can't wait to try them.  We have also been unloading boxes that have been waiting on me for a couple of years.  I found tons of teddy bear fur and tools.  I was so excited yesterday to get the mohair all hung on hangers and in a closet so I can "go shopping" whenever I want to make a new teddy bear!

Speaking of new teddy bears, I have had this one on the drawing board for a couple days. I made some changes from the way I normally design. I am sure Shane is sick of me asking geometry and engineering questions! He's glad it is finally on the fur and not changeable!  The head is different, I made it much fuller than normal. The arms are shorter than the legs and the body is a four piece body. Making the body with four pieces gives me more control over where the bear is a bit podgy. I also gave this one definite right and left feet by the way I designed the feet pads. I am really anxious to see how this all works out. In this picture, the body is the only piece that is completely sewn and turned the proper way out. Getting close now, this is the point when I don't want to stop!

I need to get to the cleaning so I can play the rest of the day. I hope your weekend is fantastic and you get a bit of time to do something you love.  Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you.

quilt piecefully,

Debi

 

My AHA! Moment

Well, here it is Friday and I am just now posting my pictures from last Saturday's clue on the mystery.  I finished them last night. They were very easy, but that's not the point...I was just lazy and didn't do them when I should have! Oh well, at least they are finished!  The big blocks are squared to 16-1/2", that's pretty big.  The smaller ones are 8-1/2".  The quilt will finish at a single bed size.  Can't wait to see how it is all going to go together.

I also decided to make this little one a girl after all.  I was making a bow tie for his neck.  I kept putting it up to him and trying it for size. When it was finished, I was putting the elastic over his head and it got stuck on his ear and I had one of those AHHA! moments, HE IS A SHE AFTER ALL!!!!! Little Tristan got her way as she wanted this bear to be a girl all along! I have a friend who suggested a tutu....working on that.  I need to get some tulle.  I have the red satin, but think it would be so sweet with the netting over it, maybe even some chiffon. I have some chiffon, I might try that first to see what we think!

Well, I need to do my lizard sitting for the day and start thinking about what's on the menu for the day!  Life does go on even though I would love to spend all day in the studio.  Our neighbors are on vacation and we are looking after their five foot long lizard named Zeus. I do the petting and cleaning, Shane does the feeding and spraying.  Too much fun! I downloaded this pic from the web so you could see what he looks like. Way too cool!

Have a fantastic day and try to take the time to do something you love.  Hope to see you on Facebook or here really soon.  I enjoy hearing from you.  Thanks for stopping by.  

quilt piecefully,

Debi

 

Finesimo

Well, here she is in all her glory, but I still think she is a he!! AND, I PLUCKED! I like the clean look of the muzzle. Next one, maybe only a shave. I love how the character comes out when you do the face. Until then, they are just wee lifeless things.  Shane asked me today how I decided what kind of nose, smile, frown, or whatever to embroider....I told him they must speak to me.  They usually portray close to how I feel...as you can tell, this one is a bit disappointed....my babies are gone now, I'm a bit disappointed. But he is pretty cute, and both are still nameless...any ideas??

 

And this may not make YOUR day, but it sure made mine.  I came home to a 50 pound container of garnet sand....how cool is that???? I use this as weight in my tiny teddy bears.  This will certainly fill a lot of bears. This sand is a bit finer than I am used to, I will have to accommodate for that.  I don't want it seeping out through the fabric or seams.

I am already drawing another bear.  I am trying to make one with a wide muzzle.  I am hoping between Shane's genius and my creativity, we've got it.  I know that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.  I am hoping by widening the gusset, I can widen the face a bit.  I also have the triangles cut and a few more lips done for the wedding ring quilt.  I am not accustomed to the slow progress on a quilt, this is the first double wedding ring I have ever done, definitely not my last. I just need to understand they take a while to complete...no instant gratification!!!

Have a great day and if you can send good name ideas my way...just post here or on Facebook.  I am hoping you have the opportunity to do something you love. Enjoy your day!

quilt piecefully,

Debi

Shave or Pluck??

I made a lot of progress on the teddy bear yesterday.  I have progress pictures, but first I have a delimma, do I shave or pluck this little ones face?? I am leaning toward the plucking side because the paws and feet are very smooth and you can see a lot more character when you pluck. BUT, if I shave...there is a five o'clock shadow thing going on.  I know it looks pretty funny right now, and a bit crooked, but it's all his hair and I haven't set his eyes in yet. 

 

 This pic is earlier in the day, I have his legs, arms, and head all filled, but not the body.  I was checking arms and legs for placement.  The head is pretty much set where it has to go!! Shaping up pretty good.  Once I decided I liked the arms and legs, I rolled down my cotter pins and filled the body, closed all the seams, and tried different size eyes to see what look I wanted.

I decided since it is a smaller bear (spot on 10 inches), to use bigger eyes so it looks more like a cub.  I am using 10mm German glass eyes, I love the look.  I also have wooden ones, but they aren't shiny and bright.  Cubs have bright eyes. I cannot do the nose and mouth until I decide if I shave or pluck. SO, this little one will just have to speak to me for a bit before I choose.

I also printed the Saturday mystery clue and read through all the directions for that. I will cut and sew those up soon. I am just adding triangles to the stars to make larger squares. I need to get the border on the Monday mystery as well.  I have it hanging on the design wall, so I see it all the time as a reminder to finish it up.

I hope you have a fantastic day and have a bit of time to do fun things. I will probably have this little guy done tomorrow, so I will post pics.  Please post your pics on the Facebook page or here, I love to see what you're doing.  You inspire me! Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you.

Off to cut triangles and borders!

quilt piecefully,

Debi

Long Day

A long hard day, but now I am back home to my own bed and the center of my universe, my wonderful husband.  It was harder than I thought to leave my babies behind.  I cried at the airport for a very long time.  Still sniffling as I flew out of Sacramento.  I will certainly miss having them around. 

I don't have any pics for today and nothing to report as far as quilting or sewing, or even teddy bear making...I did laundry and re-made my bed in Sacramento, packed, ate, played with the children, drove, flew, drove, went to Costco, came home, and went to bed!!!!!

Today will be better, I'll post pics later if I can.  If not, certainly tomorrow.

Until then, have a fantastic day. Take some time to do something you love.  Let me know if your day was more profitable than mine!!

quilt piecefully,

Debi

Snips and Snails....

And puppy dog tails.  I had tons of help while stitching the rest of the parts of the teddy bear together.  The children got to reunite with their dogs today, Jet a long time loving bigger dog, and Frank the weeny.  Since I have Frank's uncle as my weeny, I think he knew I was a weeny lover and spent his day touching me. OHHH, I just want to take him home!!I I know it is silly to say I love my grand-doggies too, but I do!!  

The children and I had a good last full day together.  Mommy was busy going through their clothes and sorting those that were too small now and those they could wear. We did tons of washing and repacking.  She has a ton to sell and found the next lot to be okay until Christmas.  Nana knows better what to get them and that we left a few things behind that need to be sent when I get home.  We went out to lunch and to the drug store to pick up a couple things.  I should have gone to a craft type store as well, the flight may be a bit boring without anything to do as the bear is all ready for me to put together tomorrow.



This teddy bear looks flat and lifeless right now, but just you wait until we put the stuffing in and attach all the limbs.  The character really shines when the face goes on.  I use German hand blown glass eyes and embroider the nose and mouth.  I have plans for this one to have a bit of extra flare with the possibility of eyebrows, fingers and toes.... we will just have to see how it speaks to me.  I keep wanting to call it a boy, but Tristan insists it is a girl.  Guess I better start calling her by the right pronoun.

Have a wonderful day.  I hope you get the time to do something you love. It only takes five minutes to cut a few squares for a quilt, you would be amazed!  I will be flying home this evening, I know it will be a hard good-bye, pretty attached to these babies....all of them.  I will just have to look forward to Christmas and visits from ALL our grandbabies.

quilt piecefully,

Debi

Another Long Day

After a very long day of driving, we made it to the Sacramento area and home for the children and their mommy.  I am sure they are tired and loving being home.  When we arrived (a couple hours after bedtime) all they wanted to do was play with long lost favorite toys and explore their rooms again.  It was like watching the wonder of Christmas on their faces. So Sweet...

 

They both slept for a little while, we all had poor tummies after eating amusement park food for a few days.  While they slept, played and drank their bottles of water, I stitched away and got both legs finished.  I only have two arms to stitch together and half the body and it is ready to put together.  I am sure if I were home, this teddy bear would be finished, but I'm not....oh well, it's all fun anyway.

 

They went to the grocery this morning and Nana got to take a nice long shower and a couple minutes to write the blog for today, after missing a couple of days due to very poor internet :-(  I fly home tomorrow and will be back in the routine of home life again.  I know our lives have forever changed, I am constantly looking behind me for the little ones to be there and they are not....but I know they are enjoying time with their mommy and talking to daddy on Facetime while he's deployed.  It is all for a good cause and we are happy we had the opportunity to do it.  Looking forward to having five more in January for a week.  We want to keep the older two, but not sure mommy and papa are okay with that.....

I hear them getting out of the car, the quiet has ended!  Have a wonderful day.  I pray you are worshipping in the church of your choice and have time to do something you love.

quilt piecefully,

Debi

 

Fun Day

What a fun day we had at LEGOLAND. It is amazing to find an amusement park that is geared to younger children.  Everything was made out of LEGO's and the rides were slower and easier for the children.  I'm only adding a few pictures of our day.  Cole isn't very good with his chopsticks!! Kuddos to him for trying very hard to pick up his hot dog! Tristan really enjoyed it when Nana picked up her raisins with my chopsticks and dropped them in her mouth.  I love it when they think I am great!!

Tristan really loved looking at the buildings of Las Vegas, New York City, Washington D.C., and other cities across the United States.  These were all LEGO made and had moving parts  when the children pushed buttons around the fences. The day wasn't too hot, maybe in the 80's.

When the children were all tired out and ready to leave for the day, we went back to the hotel and I had some time to work on the new bear.  I have the head, ears, front of the arms, and one leg almost sewn.  I am hand-sewing all of this, so it takes a bit longer. I won't be able to finish it on this trip as I only brought these pieces with me.  I will be flying home with just a small bag and I don't have the room to get it back home, or the bag of polyfil in the car with all the kids stuff to go home.

Have a fantastic day and take time to do something you love.  Please post pictures on the Facebook page, I would love to see your projects. Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you.

quilt piecefully,

Debi

 

Dum de Dum.......

It's hard to believe the lines at an amusement park can be this long in October, but we are waiting at least 30 minutes to get on rides. The kids are having so much fun! It's nearly time to stop for lunch and it's going to be a hard job convincing them to stop! It is really neat there is an amusement park for younger children.

Nana has been busy running from LEGO to DUPLO areas to get pictures of both of them. I have the big camera so I keep forgetting to use the phone. Currently on one of those hour waits to take pics. Both are riding the "Sky cruiser" with Grandad and Mommy.

Since I am on the mobile site, I can't upload pics, I'll put them on Facebook.

Have a great day!

Debi

A Day of Firsts...

 

As well as being the first time I have traveled I-8, my first time in San Diego, it was Cole's first time in Legoland Resort Hotel, Tristan's first time at the beach, and Leesh's first time to call room service!!!!! The beach was beautiful and the water COLD!! You can see the beach from several miles away from San Diego. The sun was in the perfect place to reflect nicely off the water. What an amazing day! Phew, we were certainly tired when it was time for bed.

 

Tristan serenaded us along the way and Cole played on his iPad and counted train cars! Grandad was the navigator, Mommy drove, and Nana kept the children in drinks, snacks, was the official watcher outer for the rest areas! 

I did get some sewing done amongst my nanny duties.  The children were good travelers and didn't need much attending to. Tristan decided this teddy bear is a girl and she needs earrings....how she knows that, I don't know, but we are going to try.  I got the head all sewn, the body darts put in, and the arms partly done. I won't get to sew over the next couple of days as we will be having too much fun.  Legoland Thursday, and zoo and USS Midway on Friday.  Shane flies out of San Diego Friday evening and the rest of us travel on home.

Have a wonderful day! Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you reading my ramblings! Take time to do something you enjoy.

quilt piecefully,

Debi  

 

Road Trip!

We are all loaded up in the Explorer and are headed to California to take the children home. We won't be there until Saturday as we are going to make a few stops in between here and Sacramento. The first one being the USS Midway. We will hit the San diego Zoo and Legoland as well. Staying a couple of nights in the Legoland Reaort. The room is supposed to be amazing!! 

I'll post pics on the Facebook page. I am unable to upload them in the mobile site, or maybe I am just not savvy enough to figure it out!!

Have a great day,

More later,

Debi

Ready to Go!

We are all packed up an ready to head out. I have my clothes and toiletries, but I CANNOT forget the most important thing: my things to do!  I may add a ball of yarn and some knitting needles, but I have the bear, all fray stopped, mostly pinned and ready to go. We only have about five hours tomorrow, but Saturday we will drive from San Diego to north of Sacramento, so I will have plenty of time to sew him up.

I finally finished the bridesmaids dresses Tuesday evening.  It was a mission to do the taking in and hems between Monday at 7:00am and Tuesday at 5:00pm.  We had doctor's appointments amongst other things that needed doing, so I didn't have very long to alter them before we left.  They are done and dusted now, they will have them all professionally pressed and poof, done. 

Well, we need to get out of here, so I'll sign off for today.  I will try to post pics while I am away of our adventures.  Have a wonderful day.  Try to take time to do something you love.

Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate it.

quilt piecefully,

Debi

 

The Real Thing!!

Monday started at 7:00am with a fitting for the bridesmaids dresses I needed to alter for a wedding this weekend. BUT, since we are leaving Wednesday to drive the children back home, I had yesterday and this morning to get them finished.  I had dresses hanging everywhere in all different stages of alterations.  I only have to hem one, but the others need nips and tucks as well as hems. 

 

 We also had to go to the Mayo Clinic for physical therapy for Shane's broken vertebrae yesterday morning.  They are very pleased with his progress, he is very good about doing his exercises and working hard on his posture.  His T7 and T10 vertebrae are fractured due to the chemotherapy.  It induced osteoporosis and he is on medicine for that and the exercises to help strengthen the muscles around them.  This gave me time on the drive to cut out the new teddy bear and start pinning.  I found the fray stopping stuff and will put that on and let it dry before I sew this one together.

While taking the children home, we are going to drive through San Diego and go to the USS Midway, the San Diego Zoo, and Legoland.  The children don't know it, so it will be a nice surprise after being separated from their parents for so long. Their dad is deployed and is in the middle east, but mommy is finally home! This will give me plenty of driving time to finish this teddy bear up, since these dresses are taking up my days.

Time to give baths and get ready for another busy day!!  Hope yours is fantastic and you have time to do the things you love.  Please post on our Facebook page or here on the blog.  Thank you so much for stopping by. I appreciate you.

quilt piecefully,

Debi

Mysteries

The Saturday Mystery numbers were wrong as I suspected, so I can now show you what you need to do if you are doing this one...this is the smaller one of the two current projects.  You will need to take the HSTs we made in week 2 and 4 and make 20 blocks total....10 of each of these layouts.  This should use all the blocks we have made in previous weeks, and we are nearly out of fabric.  We haven't touched Fabric E yet, so I am sure it will be a border, lattice or something neat like that. Judy is really keeping this one a secret, we finish on October 25, and we really have no clue other than the stars we did on week three what this one looks like.

 The Monday Mystery is on quiltersclubofamerica.com under Mystery Quilt 10. She posts each new clue as a new discussion. This week is week 7. You will be able to print from there.  This is the big one and takes quite a bit of fabric.  I posted a pic of the center yesterday, all we have left are borders now.  Most quilters are doing their own thing, but the pattern is there if you would like to see it. This one, we could figure out before it was posted, I knew the chain and the stars went together. We got this last clue yesterday.  I will post pics as soon as mine is finished.

I have designed another teddy bear.  I will post pics of this one as I go along as well.  It will be a bit bigger than the little poppit I did last week.  I think maybe 9-10 inches, we'll see.  I have a friend who wants to make one, I am SO EXCITED!!!  If you would like to make one too, just let me know, I can send you a kit! Don't forget to post pics as you sew along.

Have a wonderful week and take time to do something you enjoy.  Trust me, when you get to be my age, you'll thank yourself for the sanity you preserved! Thanks for stopping by, I appreciate you.

quilt piecefully,

Debi