Sew My Stash 2015 March Challenge. It's on!!

Woo!!!
It's March, the heat's back on (after three weeks, brrr!), and the Sun is shinin'! Now what could be better than that??
I know what!! Another Sew My Stash 2015 Throwdown!!

You haven't seen me here for awhile, 'cause it was too cold to sit next to the window, without heat, and type. But that doesn't mean that I didn't accomplish anything during February! No, I and my handy dandy sit-upon heating pad manned up and got it done!!

So here are my finishes for February for the Sew My Stash 2015. Eat your hearts out, they're all going as gifts to other folks!!

First up is my mini quilt for Madi at Shop Corner 52. We were partners in the #BitchesgetstitchesSwap. If the hashtag doesn't give enough of a clue, it was a swap of items that were bawdy, or swearing. I tell ya, I learned that there is a whole world out there about which I knew nothing!! Check out the #bitchesgetstitchesswap hashtag on Instagram and roll down the feed for alot of fun! But I'm warning you... Some of the items will light your eyes on fire!! Who knew the Brits and Aussies were so naughty??!

I will do an entire post on the construction of this mini. Such great paper piecing patterns from Quiet Play!

Second, I completed this mini wall hanging for a friend, but noone gets to see the whole thing until she has received it. Lol!! But you know I'll fill you in as soon as she does!

Velvet ribbon!! I just cannot get enough of it! 

Then, I finished this purse for my Niecey... I was pattern testing the pattern for The Littlest Thistle, so I can only give you a glimpse. A full reveal will occur when she releases the pattern. All I can say is, WOW!! Katy really puts alot of time and thought into her patterns, and it sure shows when you make them! Easy Peasy!!! Now I have two more that I have to make!! Lol!

Somebody's watchin' you! Sing it!

And, last, but certainly not least, I was a participant in a Round Robin quilt exchange with my quilting ladies, and I finished the last quilt. Woo!! We had our exchange last Wednesday, and I will do a complete post on all 8 of the quilts. They are AMAZING!!!! The one I received, is the best. I'm just sayin'. 

This is Rebecca's quilt. Have you been in a Round Robin exchange? I'd love to hear your stories!!

AND NOW...

MARCH'S SEW MY STASH 2015 THROWDOWN!!!

Ok, Anita!!! Here I go!! I challenge you to complete your list before I do mine.... or I owe you CHOCOLATE!!!

That's right!!! CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE CHOCOLATE!

(and no fair cheating, what with the stakes being so high, and all!!) ;)

I will complete:

1) The pattern for Cheeky Lattice, for Fat Quarterly. The top has been done for a month, and it is killing me to not show you all!!!! SOONNN!!!!!!! My quilting lady Denise, a fibre artist extraordinaire, is quilting it. But I still have to do the actual work of writing the instructions. 

2) PJ Pants. I. WILL. complete. a. pair. Even if it kills me. Which it might. I am not showing a pic of the materials, because I will probably change my mind twice, and make them out of entirely different stash than I originally intended. No wise cracks about my having a stash big enough to have several options in pj potential yardage ;)

3) Box Car Tote: Or TWO!!

What a nice sized tote to carry all of your stuff to retreats and sewing days!  One for me and one for ??? I'm taking a class with my quilty peeps from the SewAlaskan instagrammers. Fun!!! 

This is my project for  A Lovely Year of Finishes over at Sew Bittersweet Designs. 

4) Another Mini Messenger Bag, or two!!! Here are my stash pulls for them. What do you think??

Flap of Anna Marie Horner Echinacea, body of Aubergine and blue, gusset of aubergine, interior of Alison Glass.

AND

Flap of Joel Dewberry mod, interior of Alison Glass at left, pocket of Pickle, exterior of Kona Charcoal, flap lining of Kona Teal Shade. I tell you, these things are worse than potato chips! You can't make just one!!

6) I am also incredibly honored to have been asked to participate in the International blog hop for Oakshott Fabrics new line, Scandinavia.

Oh my!!! Aren't they completely Delicious??!!!

Oakshott fabrics are shot cottons, which means that the warp and weft are two different colors. This gives them an iridescent glow and a luxuriousness that is really so lovely. I like them better than my Kaffe Fasset shot cottons, because they are softer to the hand, and are such a nice weight. Perfect!!

I cannot wait to get started on this project!! Woo!

I hope you had a Fabulous February and are ready for a Marvelous March!!
XX!
Lori

 Linking up with:

Quick Picnic Quilt

It's Finish It Up Friday over at Crazy Mom Quilts, and boy, do I have a finish for you!

This was originally a Quilt for Sarah. Sarah passed away this last Memorial Day. She is sorely missed! But this isn't a post about missing and sadness. This is a post about celebration and remembrance. A sharing among friends. Friends near and far, here and gone, but never absent.
This last week, I attended a retreat with my quilting ladies, the Gold Stitchers. It is always so lovely to get together for a long spell of stories and sharing. So come on in and join us!

Check out this splendid runner that Donna is making! Precious!! She's inventing it as she goes along. I mean really, people are amazing!!

Do you think she will adopt me?? I would really like that!

And Susan just has such a way with color!!! Everything, I mean EVERYTHING she makes is just wonderful! 

And Cleary has organized a drive for small quilts to go to hospice and pediatrics at our local hospital in honor of one of our ladies whose husband just passed away very suddenly and wrenchingly. The hospital staff were wonderful and the ladies just feel that anything they can do to make someone's day just a little bit better is the least we can do to thank them, and the world. Isn't Cleary something else?!! She has also arranged artisan days at the library wherein the library show a movie, and have a demonstration or display involving local artists. One of Susan's quilts is on display right now, and the Bee-Inspired Quilt and one from Rebecca Cleaver (@Cleaverr) will be on display soon. How cool is that?! You go, Cleary!

Whenever we go on retreat there are always visits to local quilt shops...

And little gifts left surreptitiously in the night

And a visit from Julia (said with your worst French accent and a pinkie in the air!)

And discussion about when we are going to make our own Calendar Girls calendar... and exactly what we are going to wear...

And fabulous Eats. Oh the EATS!!!

And Stories!! Stories of this and that, travels and triumphs, good times and bad... and stories you never knew about such as this one about the Northern Lights...

No S**t, there she was...! So, Ally is a Kiwi. There are lots of Kiwis in Alaska, I think it must be the splendor and the wanderlust. I love hearing Ally's stories of the Alaska that was here when she first arrived some 30-odd years ago... 

So Ally and her mate were driving up the AlCan (unpaved), and approaching Dawson City. Now, Ally tells me that a Kiwi just cannot resist a road less travelled or a secret byway beckoning (handy to know if you ever want to catch one!), so she and her bud turned off the highway and onto a narrow track leading out into the back of beyond. Several miles later, they came upon a large creek, a lone gold miner, and a dog. The creek was Eureka Creek, the miner is still a friend, and the dog, well, that's another story. So there are Ally and her mate, and the dog and the miner and a whole lotta nothing around, and he asks them if they would stay to help him protect the gold claim, and watch the sluice. A sluice is used to wash down the tailings from that day's digging in the creek. A section of the creek is dammed off, filled with water and let sit. And if you're the guard, you do some sitting too! And some mosquito swatting, and some long hours of thinking and just being, all whilst holding a rifle in case someone decides they need your gold more than you do. You have to watch the sluice and let water out every now and again, or it will overflow and wash your gold right on down the creek to the next guy. And trust me, he does not deserve it. 

So here's Ally, at 3 am or so, sitting out in the Night by herself, fresh from New Zealand and the surf, listening to the wolves and wondering about Bear, when over her head these Massive green and white and red shapes appear and reach down at her, shifting and squirming and growing.... What would you do?? Well, I can tell you, she ran like wildfire, hair streaming behind, to the bunkhouse to wake the guys to save her from the skies!! And so would I! 

Isn't it grand how big the world is, and how many things there are out there that you just don't know exist, or haven't thought of in real life? 

Ally is thinking of making a quilt from this gorgeous selection of indigos and white on white swirls. I think she should, don't you?

And this is the view from out the back door,

And Celebration! A quilt to celebrate friendship, and Sarah, and women in a group, and all that is good and right with the world so long as you have love,

And although we miss our friends when they are not with us, just the thought of them brings us joy,

And when we're together, there is so much laughter and love that you cannot even sew a straight seam!!

So, Cheers!!!

I'm so glad you stopped by! 

XX!

Lori

Here is the Pattern PDF, share it with friends and Enjoy!!

Linking up with:

 

http://www.shareasale.com/u.cfm?d=250661&m=29190&u=947713&afftrack=