Got QUILTS?

This little runner has found a nice home! (HELLO DALLAS!)

I'm packing up my stuff to head up to BASICS to work with the kids and their blocks

for two more quilts for their fall auctions... I am so excited...
B is coming along to help, and show them her little quilt to inspire, and also my pal Kim.
Tomorrow I should have some good pictures for you of all the fun!

Speaking of FUN...

GOT QUILTS?
Since this Basic house Block project has been so successful and I
will be able to contribute way more quilts than I had originally thought,
I have been working with BASICS PROMESA
to turn it into a program to continue to gather quilts,
COMPLETED quilts this time...
Quilts to be sent directly to BASICS, for families.

I need your help.

New Project coming soon...
with prizes from a few familiar places!

Cottage garden quilts

Sounds intriguing right?

If you have an old top you can finish to donate,
or quilt you want to Donate,
Soon,
the new program will be up and running...
and yes there will be raffles and prizes...
(& prizes for the the early birds to donate!)

stay tuned.

Be ready to donate a quilt or two...


please bookmark & join to Follow the new site, and check back often...

http://bumblebeansbasics.blogspot.com/

I'm hoping in another week or so, things should be up and rocking...

NOTE*
Quilts do not get sent to me.... please see site for details

BASIC NEWS

Barbara A, did it again! She sent me the top and bottom row for a quilt, complete with backing and binding ready to go... it's a HOUSE!~ How cute is that?
I inserted house blocks and it's done.. lickty split!

Terri C sent some fabulous backings and

Siobhan sent the houses at the bottom... So very cute!!

I got two more quilts laid out, ready to sew... one red white and blue fun one...
and a light rather french looking light top...

And other Barbara on her second box to me, sent 40 machine appliqued house blocks!
I was inspired to make these into a Picnic blanket, two pillows and 4 place mats as a set...
Ready for a 4th of July picnic!

So much fabulous-ness!
Thank you everyone!

One more week to get the blocks in to be entered into the Amy Butler
fabric giveaway.
Just send me your blocks or supplies by April 30th.
drawing May 1st


One a different NOTE:

Anything rcvd afterwards, (unfinished quilts, supplies)
I will continue to except to keep these quilts coming.

I am talking with the org. to set up a program for accepting completed quilts only,
for Quilts that will continue to be given directly to the families...

Stay tuned for that information.
I am working up some GREAT prizes
to set the ball rolling on that event.

Perhaps June, so stay tuned... Website in progress...
You can watch this site for details to come...

http://bumblebeansbasics.blogspot.com/

Just to be clear on that project,
ONLY COMPLETED quilts will be accepted,
and will be sent directly to BASICS...
So if you find you have a simple quilt laying around,
or old tops you don't like anymore,
please finish them and can be mailed directly to BASICS.

UNFINISHED things need to be sent to me...


But like I said, that is all coming.

VENDORS!
So if you're a vendor
of any sort and you'd like to contribute any prizes
to help encourage all you fabulous people to donate completed quilts.

Please email me.
bumblebeansinc at gmail dot com

BASICS UPDATE

I rcvd a lovely box of goodies yesterday From Barbara A. for the BASICS project!
A nearly completed top, so all I had to do was insert the house blocks!
Oh JOY!!!
Barbara not only sent the top, but backings and bindings, and this quilt is DONE in minutes!!
Bright, cheery and fabulous! THANK YOU SOOOO MUCH Barbara,
It was such a joy to receive your box!


This is my favorite part to this project!!! I get to sift through and look again
at all the lovely blocks you all have sent!

Done in minutes....
See any of your blocks in there?

Jackie is one of the gals who has offered to Quilt a bunch of these for me...
I will be putting a box in the mail shortly with the first 10 quilts...
Jackie also has a give away going... hop over!

And Don't forget, my AMY BUTLER FABRIC GIVEAWAY! Anything (house blocks, 20.5 blocks, backings, bindings, offers to quilt) rcvd before April 30th will get a chance to win the fabric!

One more top put together yesterday...

(notice my Anguillan sunrise blocks?
I realized my Dresdens are exactly the same colors as these blocks! ooh! the possibilities!!)

And look how many more BASICS QUILTS I have to go!

Backings, Bindings, and a HUGE stack of 10.5" blocks... that stack is about 7" tall of squares...
the first 8 tops was from a stack about 5 " tall..

so I figure I have about another 15 or so quilt tops in that pile!
And my mother has a stack of her own, for about another 8 tops...

How many more can we get?

Keep me busy folks!

I dare you!

can you tell?

What a lovely weekend!!!

Yes, you can tell what I did this weekend, and it had nothing to do with sewing...

Well, I did play for my 15 minutes, when we got back to the city with these tumblers...

Nothing to brain taxing... Just having a little brain mush play...

And it just feels good!

Besides quilting as a hobby, what is the next best thing?

For me it's a tie between my garden and my motorcycle...
how about you?




Also, THANK YOU's to
Alexis, and Annie N, Sharon J, ANNIE, Kim B.

TGIF

Fun Friday....

Procrastination and why it's great...

I've have a group project that I started with a bang weeks and weeks ago,
and now, of course, it needs to be done very soon.(it has since been neglected)
My goal for the week was to sit and get the applique done by today.
Well, today is here and guess what?
Two Oprah's,
three Parenthoods,
One,the mentalist
and one American Idol later,

I am now caught up on my TIVO'd shows from
when I was away on vacation!

And I just got the applique done.

Yippee!
(did you know, if you skip commercials,
you can watch all those shows in about 3 hours?)

Gotta love procrastination! (and Tivo!)

April 28th I will be working with 12 kids ages 10-15
from the BASICS program
to make enough blocks for two more quilts...
I cut a bunch of squares and will bring my bins of scraps
and some steam a seam, and hopefully,
come up with a bunch of blocks like mine above....

They can make whatever they want,
and I am so looking forward to see, what they come up with.

I still need a helper or two, if you anyone wants to come lend a hand...

I did get one more BASICS top together today...
Still have time to send blocks!
Get them to me BEFORE APRIL 30th to be entered in the
drawing for the AMY BUTLER fabrics giveaway...
I will continue to gather the house blocks afterwards...
Can never have enough quilts for this cause...

**
Have a great weekend, oh, and
For all you 80's game fans....
(even if your not, I bet you'll like this.)

now, I gotta find something for that "15 minutes for myself"...
perhaps cut a few more tumblers...

toodles~!

other ways to help

Today's 15 minutes:
Cutting strips for my Anguillan Sunrise Quilt

Last night, My hubby said, ok are you ready for your last Birthday gift?
HUH? my Birthday is sort of over...
Nope, he said, you have a gift that just got here...

Inside was, this lovely Aqua glass bead bracelet. And even better was the story behind it.
SAMESKY.COM
Same Sky employs HIV+ women in Rwanda who survived the 1994 Genocide. Instead of a hand out, we give these women a hand up and the chance to rebuild their lives.

One of the founders, I learned, is a friend of ours, who in the past had also worked with
The Christopher Reeves Foundation.
A woman I admire, who continues to do lovely work,
also inspired me to give what I can, help where I can, no matter how big or small...
The Rawanda effort has always been something I have been wanting to be a part of. So even though it maybe a small effort, today, who knows what more I could do...tomorrow.

Please visit the site. See the lovely things the women have made.

Support people.

Anyhere.

In the great scheme of things, we're all related.

Speaking of doing my part, , sorry three, more tops completed for the BASICS HOME Quilts

Got 42 10.5" blocks?

got 6 house blocks?

Quick and easy.
Wanna send tops like this too!

At one point I had said I had enough backings etc.
But I have recvd so many more house blocks then I thought,
that I will indeed run out of backings... and 10.5" blocks.
If you are not able to send house blocks,
backings and 10.5" blocks would be greatly appreciated...

Thank you to Alexis and Gail!
More Fabulous blocks!!!!

this and that

I Finished this little goodie last night... ;-)
gotta get it in the post now... it was fun to put this together!
I love making things that fit a person specifically!
Hope she likes it...
(hope you're not reading my blog!)
**
Todays' 15 minutes....
I try to take 15 minutes everyday to do something for myself.
(on top of all the other stuff I have going here)
Keeps me sane...

My trusty cotton purse...(on the left) new on the right)

I made the little purse on the left about 8 or 9 years ago.
I am always on the hunt for the PERFECT NYC bag.

When you walk a lot in NYC, if your a mother,
you always need one hand free and the other to latch onto your child...
So having a purse in one hand usually doesn't work...

because you may have a lunch bag, backpack of groceries
that also needs to be carried...

I can NEVER find a long strapped SMALL, easy access bag and that is not to heavy...
So my little cotton bag was born.
I love ot take it to the beach and everywhere else.. packs easy for trips etc,

But sometimes you want something a little snazzier...

SO today, with my
15 MINUTES for me, I picked out a piece of washed out stone gray leather
at one of the local shops in my hood. (matches my hair!)

one piece cost me $45 dollars, I came home, copied my favorite little bag and
added a pocket for my Metro card(subway pass)
(which you are always searching for...)
got out some snazzy red for trim, cute huh?
AND,
got out some purse handles that I had previously bought
and made a second hand bag!

Not bad for $45!

Got two more BASICS tops put together..., or nearly...

Obviously these two will be great for kids!

And Thanks to Janet H, and Jennifer!
I got you on the list! thanks ladies!
if you two have blogs let me know...
**
Now I have to get back to the applique projects I have going here...
And catch up on my new show,
JUSTIFIED, with Timothy Olyphant.
LOVE IT!!

Sunsets and 15 minutes

Finding Rhythm.

My mother, as I said, graciously helped me by joining 8 quilt tops 6 X6
of the pre cut 10.5" blocks you all have been sending.
This by the way, is a HUGE help.

Feel free to keep sending the precuts, backings and House blocks and bindings...
I can see I will be going through the load I have here faster than I had thought...

I had not planned on starting to finish these to 6 X 8 (60" X 80")tops,
But having the 8 tops lay there,I figured a few a day will keep me from leaving them til the last minute...
So i am figuring out how to incorporate the House blocks, and come up with 14 quilts for Auction, plus about 6 more that BASICS will sell at other various functions...

Yesterday, I rcvd these blocks from
Nancy, Janet R., and GiGi

Janet, Need your email address please...


If Nancy and Janet R have blogs, please let me know so I can link them.

Thank you So Much!!!

Keep them coming til April 30th!
Don't Forget that Fabulous Amy Butler Fabric Giveaway!!!

Just have them to me by the end of this month and you will be entered!

**


As I applique away on the commission quilt, I still need to play a bit for myself!
So I Am trying to finish this little giftie for a friend...
*****

And Today's
15 minutes of play
is:

Definitely inspired by Anguilla's Sunsets....
My toes, thanks to my daughter choice of color!

And
these vintage blocks I found in Lancaster....
I love the colors...
Navy, pink, yellow, black... and SAND

I'm seeing another BIG quilt coming with this block...

From Hawaiian Sunset quilt to Anguilla's Sunsets...

Have a few quilt bee blocks I need to get to yet today,
so I better sign off and get working...

What will you do special
with
15 minutes today?