The Final Schnibble!

Talk about getting in just under the wire.  I didn't think I'd be able to get this done by the deadline, but I just (and I mean just) finished the last A Year of Schnibbles Schnibble - my Plan C!!  Woo hoo!

A couple of notes about this quilt.  First of all, when one reads directions, one should actually digest the directions.  I looked at the photo and thought stars and 4-patches...how easy is that!  I did read the directions and then just went on my merry way and made 6 star blocks.  Except the directions clearly say DO NOT PUT STAR BLOCKS TOGETHER, but instead put the quilt together in rows.  After unstitching the six blocks, I put the middle of the quilt together with no problem.  I was glad to learn on someone else's blog that I was not the only one to do this - LOL!

My next problem came when I put the borders on.  As the photo clearly shows and the directions again clearly state, you are to save four 4-patch blocks for the outer corners.  When I got to the end, I realized I had way too many "piano keys" and no fabric left over for the 4-patch corners.  Phooey!  So, I had to go with the piano keys all around.  You can bet if I make this quilt again, I'll have all this down pat.  In fact, I could teach a class!  o:)

Still, I love the quilt - I think the Prayer Flag fabric is really shown off nicely in this quilt.  I have had a lot of fun since I joined this Schnibble club.  And, this won't be my final Schnibble, that's for sure.  There's lots more of these wonderful small quilts to make.

I can't wait to see what hostesses Sherri and Sinta come up with for the next year of ...whatever!

And we're off! (Well, soon anyway)

Well, it's almost time to leave for vacation and I've come to terms with the fact that this is all that is getting done on my August Schnibble.  Here is the middle of my Plan C.  I'm really happy with how it turned out using the Prayer Flag fabrics.  I think it was a good choice for this pattern! 

I'll finish it up when we get back.  This heap is what I've gotten done on the border strips so far...

It was a valiant effort, but I'm just letting it go!  It will get done when it gets done! Jelly Roll Sampler quilt will also get done when it gets done at this point.  I got the last block done, but never even got to choose the fabric for the sashing.  I do think I'm going to do a piano key border using all the fabrics though.  Shouldn't take too long.

So, even though we are leaving tomorrow, I took today off to tend to the million + 1 things that need to be done before vacation.  Last minute odds & ends, shopping, needed a new pair of sandals, cleaning the house, on-line checkins, etc.  And I thought just maybe I'd get a few minutes to sew a few stitches today too.  What I wasn't planning on was breaking a tooth this afternoon eating a piece of chicken.  I just kept looking at the piece of tooth in my hand saying "this didn't really just happen, did it?"  Yeah, it did.  And it hurt.  Couldn't drink anything, way too sensitive, couldn't eat and even breathing in air hurt.  I was on the phone to my dentist within about 30 seconds.  Luckily he took me immediately (one of the perks of going to the same dentist for 23 years, you get great emergency service).  The whole office knows our family is going on vacation, so they took good care of me.  Of course, now I'm looking at a new crown when we come back but at least he put a strong temp on the tooth so I can eat and drink with abandon (good thing, as food and drink are a BIG part of this trip o:) )  

So, we're off to one of our very favorite places....

WE'RE GOING TO DISNEY WORLD!!!!

The whole gang of us.  We're thrilled to be able to take our whole family this time.  Even though they (except grandson Rick) are grown up, they love Disney.  Us too.  o:)  Here we all are on an earlier trip...

Here's hubby with his idol, Walt...

And being silly with son, DIL and DGS...

And here we are are having some fun with the characters...

And with daughter Ariel (no, not named for the mermaid) at the Tree of Life...

Okay, so I definitely have Disney on my mind...but we're really looking forward to this trip. Our son & DIL have had a tough year with some medical issues and some other sad things, so we're really glad to do this for them. So, I'm hoping that my broken tooth is the worst of our problems as we fly from the hot heat & humidity of Phila to the hotter heat & humidity of Florida. Mickey, here we come!!!!

Projectus Interuptus

As I mentioned in my last post, this summer seems like it has started to fly by all of a sudden!  I think because I had a list of quilty things I was going to get done this summer and it's looking like that's not going to happen.  I had it all planned out and now it feels like it's all just blown out the window.  Why?  Because we're leaving for vacation at the end of the week and by the time we get back, summer's over!  One of my goals set in Spring was to make a "summery" quilt this summer.  I guess I'm going to have to say Beach Cottage was my summery quilt because that top is done (though not quilted yet).  However, I wanted it to be Seaside Cotillion...

No the greatest photo of the quilt pattern, but it very lovely.  Really.  So, I started, as you see above.  Made all of my strips and even got two of the blocks done.  I was very organized, had all the strips laid out in order on my cutting table so I could easily put them together to sew my blocks.  Then I realized, OH MY GOODNESS, it's August!  Before I go on vacation I need to not only get my Jelly Roll Sampler block #12 finished, but I've got to get the whole top together so I can put it in the contest!  And, I've got to get my A Year of Schnibbles August quilt finished.  It's not even started.  I don't even have the fabric for it.  So, I hop right on the internet and quickly decide I'm using Prayer Flag..I've got to tell you, I am loving this fabric for my quilt...

I'm doing the Plan C Schnibble this month.  The other choice was Short Story, but I'm doing the larger version of that (already have the two layer cakes of Sultry by Basic Grey) in Carrie Nelson's Schnibbles Times Two book, and I certainly don't have time to make a larger quilt at this point!  So, Plan C it is!  Luckily, I had the fabric in two days and started right in.  However, that meant that my grand plan to catch up on my Snowbound BOM by making 4 blocks in August also flew right out the window.  Along with quilting Madeline, Joy Luck, Cameos and Beach Cottage.  (I also have to fess up - I won another gift certificate in the A Year of Schnibbles contest for Joy Luck - this has been most lucrative - LOL!  Not only am I getting all of these awesome quilts that I probably wouldn't have made, but I can keep buying more fabric!)  Also, off the radar until fall is the Dresden Plate quilt that has been itching to go from my mind to fabric.  Even got the handy-dandy EZ Dresden Ruler and this lovely Lecien fabric - Flower Sugar.  On clearance no less!

(Turn your head to the side now - sorry about that!)

I am quilt-stressed.  As I said, we leave at the end of next week.  And I have to work Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday.  Last weekend, as I mentioned not one stitch got sewn.  Putting aside everything else, I still have to get the JRS quilt put together and my Plan C Schnibble top completed and posted before I go.  Now, what happens if they don't get done and I don't post them?  Nothing.  I just don't get to be in the contests that month. (And I probably should be in either because I've already won two prizes in Schnibbles and a prize in JRS).  Not the end of the world, not even a big deal.  Except I hate to have committed to something (even in my mind) and not follow through.  But, it really remains to be seen if I do finish.  Because things like, oh, maybe packing for the big trip, definitely have to take precedence!  Stay tuned!