Let’s try this again

Seems unbelievable that it has been well over a year since I have posted. Good things are happening and I do think that it is time that start blogging once again.
My oldest daughter and her husband are expecting their first child and he is due to arrive on December 25, 2001. Yep! That’s right Christmas Day! Our very own Gingerbread Boy!
Gramma Mac has busy preparing things for “Little Guy”. I will be attending a baby shower next Saturday and I think I might have to blog about stuff.

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Rocking the house quilt blocks

Oh my how time flies!  So glad that spring is finally here!  YAY! 

This month, Aimee asked for house blocks from the members of the bee, 1 Year, 12 Quilts.   She included the fabric for the sky and asked for us to use scraps to create a house block.  I had this great fabric that I thought would make a suitable roof and then I just pulled coordinating fabrics to create a “little pink house”.  When it was all done, it made me think of that John Mellencamp tune “Little Pink Houses”.   

 

 

I also created a “Husker House”.  Residing in Nebraska there are plenty of Husker fanatics.  People just LOVE football.  GO BIG RED!  Now I am by no means a Husker fanatic but I had some Nebraska fabric scraps leftover from a gift I made for a Husker fanatic.  I fussy cut the fabric and if you look closely you can see Herbie the Husker in the window.

 

So there you have it.  A couple of “Rocking the house quilt blocks”.  I hope they suit Aimee’s fancy! 

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Red cross quilt blocks

This month at 1 Year, 12 Quilts, Rene requested red crosses.  This challenged me to create something I would not have typically made.  I looked at some of my favorite traditional quit patterns and then put my own twist to it.  I added a frame around this first block.  It seemed to make it feel surrounded by a church.  I wish the reds I used had a bit more contrast to allow for more depth to the design. 

Now the second block seems to have a better contrast with the red fabrics. 

 I have to say, I really enjoyed creating thess two blocks for Rene.  She intends to make a quilt for her whole family to snuggle under while watching movies.  Oh the warmth of it all!  Can’t you just feel it?  🙂 

 I have been following the others in this bee, and of those that I have seen, we have all created very unique red crosses.  Enjoy the blocks Rene!

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“Twirling Star”

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It’s Snowing!

Last night, the Omaha area received 2-3 inches of snow.  The weather man reports we are likely to receive 6-10 inches more of the white stuff by Wednesday morning.  Now plenty of folks just grumble at the thought of this. But not me!  I have the next two days off from work so when I heard the forecast my first thought was…Do I have enough in supplies to knock out some projects in my sewing room?  He he he!  Of course I have enough stuff to keep me occupied for quite some time!   Maybe I should check the pantry to be certain we won’t go hungry if we are snowed in for a bit.  Guess this is a case of a quilter’s priorities.

Hope you stay warm and happy!

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Mini quilt give away!

The Sewbot is having a mini quilt give away.  She does some interesting stuff over there.  Go check out her site and get yourself registered for a cute mini holiday quilt.

Here’s the link

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About me. Sew Mama Mac.

I have been informed that I should fill out the “About” section. Hmm…how does one describe one’s self? I have read many bios of other bloggers and it seems that pretty much every bio is some sort of positive statement about how fabulous that blogger is. I have discovered that there are a lot of talented people out there sharing pieces of their life. Because isn’t that what a blog really is? Pieces of your life?
So.. about me, Sew Mama Mac…
I am a woman living in the midwest, sharing my life with my mate/husband, enjoying a couple of the finest daughters ever created, working as a professional in the medical field, and making “stuff” on a regular basis.
What kind of “stuff”? “Stuff” that I am proud to give as a gift or to place on display. I like my “stuff” to represent a piece of me. My “stuff” is: food, quilts, clothing, purses, bags, home decorating items, costumes, even a bit of poetry.
I am simply the best at being me, Sew Mama Mac. I have a passion for making all sorts of “stuff” and sharing my “stuff” with others. This blog will consist of some of that “stuff”. Pieces of me that I will share with you, the reader. I am glad you are here.

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Quilting bee 2010

Beginning next year, I will be involved in a quilting bee with 11 other quilters.  I am looking forward to this adventure!  I am considering using some of the fabrics that I won last year from a contest  that my oldest daughter and I won.  I have been assigned the merry month of May for this swap.  Yippee!  It should be a good time.

I have added a link to all of the other quilters in this quilt bee.  You can visit their site using my blogroll.

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Thank yous.

Thank yous.  They come in all forms and sometimes they just don’t come at all.  When a recipient fails to give a thank you, it can leave the gift giver feeling like maybe the gift was not appreciated or it just was not liked.  It leaves an empty space just waiting for some action.

Recently I had a comment posted regarding thanking others even if you did not care/like the block you received.  I agree with you, Nancy!  There is a range of ability in the quilting world and we all deserve to be thanked for our efforts.

My mom always told me “If you can’t say something nice, then don’t say anything at all”.   With this in mind, I can always find something “nice” to say when given a gift.  When swapping blocks, there is always something positive I can comment on.  I sincerely appreciate the time and effort that others put into the exchanges that I have been involved in.  And to all of you, and you know who you are, I  again say THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

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Five things I have learned about quilt swaps

Boy oh boy!  Time sure flies.  Looks like it has been quite some time since my last post.  I had high hopes of getting the hang of this blogging world.  Perhaps over the next couple of weeks some sweet family member will take me under their wing and teach me some tricks.

If you look to the right you can see some pictures that I recently added to Flickr.   I have completed the row by row swap that started in February and it has certainly been a learning experience.  The quilt you see to the right was for Harley.  Her theme was “The forest at night”.  My row by row quilt was completed with 30’s theme fabrics.  It has a very cheerful feel to it  and makes me smile.  🙂

The “Starring Santa” mini quilt was completed for another swap.  It was mailed to a land far away.  SSHH its a secret.

I have only been swapping since February but I have learned plenty from the various groups I have been involved with.  The following is :

FIVE THINGS I HAVE LEARNED ABOUT QUILT SWAPS

1).  Groups set dates for swaps to be completed by.  This is  a good thing.  However I am amazed by the number of swappers that do not even come close to the due date.

2).  There are a few out there that sign up for swaps and do not complete their project.  This leaves someone out there waiting and waiting for their squishy to arrive in the mail and it never does.  Funny thing is, they seem to have no problem accepting the squishy that the honorable swapper has sent.  I realize this is the price one pays for taking the chance that others are decent honest people who will uphold their end of the bargain.  It just stinks that there are people out there like this.  Oh and I know that “life happens” and sometimes one is not able to complete what they signed up for.  I get that.  However this is not always the case.

3).  I might be known as the Point police”.  Some blocks that I have received will need to be reworked if I intend to use them.  Call me picky… but really?  Why would I go to the time and effort to complete a quilt top only to see some  lousy piecing screaming out every time I looked at that quilt?  I wouldn’t.  I will rework the blocks or pitch them.

4).  Quality control is a good thing.  A couple of the swaps I completed had a strict criteria.  If your blocks were not up to stuff, they were returned to the sender.

5).  I am a pretty darn good seamstress/ piecer/ quieter.  When I make something I give it my best.  I am proud of the pieces I have swapped with others.  Swapping has taught me to think outside of the box and to challenge myself with things I might not have attempted.

All in all, I have enjoyed the swapping world.  It is rather addictive!  I have met many fine quilters and I look forward to meeting more.  Hope to be swapping with you soon!

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