This & That Give away

I bought this pattern earlier this year. I liked the box shape of the bags. I made a couple of these bags and they are quick and easy. Now I want to pass it on to one of you to enjoy. Leave a comment to be entered to win.

I'm having surgery on my right shoulder Monday afternoon. It is an exploratory surgery to see what is causing the constant pain. This will be my third surgery on this shoulder. I have therapy on Tuesday afternoon so I will draw the winner sometime after therapy.

Leftovers

Not a very exciting title for a post but it is what it is. Actually, that phrase (It is what it is) is the way I have been living my life lately. There are some things that you just can't change and you have to accept them for what they are. It is what it is. I keep telling my kids you can't change what other people do or think, you can only change how you react to them. It's a hard road to ride but it can be done. You can't let negative things or people weigh you done. OK, not what I had planned to say but sometimes you just gotta go with the flow :)

Earlier this year I contacted a few of DI's followers to donate blocks for memory quilt for her dear friend Mary that passed away earlier this year. I knew there would be two extra squares arriving after the quilt was finished. I ended up receiving three blocks. I was planning on making a pillow for Di's rocking chair because she seems to enjoy changing out the pillows based on her mood but a third block threw me for a minute or two.  I held onto these blocks trying to decide what to make with them. Then one day while in the shower (where I get lots of good ideas) I realized a tote would be perfect for Di. She likes to walk around town with her sister and go thrift shopping. She also travels to the library on a regular basis so I think a tote will come in handy.

I love the front...

The back looks pretty good too...

A nice roomy inside...

The third block became a mini table topper that Di already found a home for. 

...and the back of the 12" mini topper.

Now, since I received so many wonderful blocks and I ended up shuffling them around so much I'm not sure who made these blocks. Ladies, if you made these blocks please let me know which one is yours so Di can thank you personally?

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

Not only did I do the Halloween block swap with Aunt Pitty Pat but I also joined in on the Christmas swap. Once again we were able to choose our theme. I had a plan in mind so I went with stockings.

Not sure how well the colors show up in this picture but the light colored squares are a light pastel purple. For the stockings I started by cutting out a stocking shape from regular lined school paper. I like how easy it tears when it is time to remove the paper. Then I grabbed a bunch of my Christmas strip scraps and went crazy at the sewing machine. Trimmed the stockings, removed the paper and Viola! mini stocking appliqués! I used the same stitch to sew them down as I used on the candy corn. It's kinda like a bunch of Xs and I like how it covers the edge but it isn't as dense as a satin stitch.

Another swap done. Two more left.

Candy Corn on the Go!

Once again I joined everyone over at AuntPittyPat's for a Halloween block swap. This year I chose candy corn, mainly because I love the colors. Now the candy...it's OK but not one of my favorites.

I know my colors are in the wrong order but I think they still look great. I like how the colors go from the darker orange to the white. That's my story and I'm sticking to it lol.

I made these with my Go! cutter using the tumbler die. I used scraps so I cut my strips 7" X 2.75" then sewed them into sets of orange, yellow, and white. Ran them through the Go! and Viola! Candy Corn. I used a fancy smancy stitch from my sewing machine to stitch them down to some 12.5" squares of fabric also from my stash.

Only 5 days left until my shoulder surgery (Monday, August 30th) and I still have a couple more projects to get finished. Be on the lookout for a quick little give a-away on Sunday.