Guess Where We Went?

We tried to keep the cruise as a surprise for the kids.  In the process we hardly mentioned it to anyone.  We are home again though, and if there is anything better than going away on a cruise, it is getting back home again.  It was just a short cruise to the Bahamas.  We left New Year's Day and stopped in Freeport and Nassau before heading home again. 
A cold front moved through while we were away.  We felt it come in on the boat.  It was so windy when we landed in Nassau that we broke two docking cables as well as a tug boat and ended up bumping into the dock where we busted off at least three of the posts that were supposed to be holding us in place.  It was almost exciting in a very slow motion/wonder what is happening kind of way.  Other than that, it was a very calm trip.  The kids loved eating in the fancy restaurant each night and getting pizza and ice cream 24/7.  They bounced in and out of the planned activities leaving Kurt and I with a few pieces of quiet time. 
I'm not sure what to do now that we're all back again.  Tomorrow is a work day, but I could spend a few minutes sewing before then I think.  I suppose I should think about unpacking, but right now I'm sitting under a quilt waiting for the heater to warm things up a bit.  Maybe I'll just check out a few blogs and see how everyone else started the new year. 

Tiny Tuesday - Maple Leaf

My first Midget Block of the new year!  This one is called Maple Leaf it is #54.  It has 65 pieces and was traditionally pieced (using really small pieces).  It seems like it should be a red block.  In green it looks more like four leaf clovers to me.  

By the time I was done, my 2 inch leader and ender blocks seemed HUGE by comparison. Isn't it funny what starts to seem normal after a while?

Happy New Year!

Every year, the kids want to stay up until midnight to welcome in the new year.  This was Sydney at 7:30.  I don't think she is going to make it.  However, congratulations are in order, see the ribbon on her finger?  She says she is engaged to a very nice celebrity from TV.  

ScrapHappy Houses

Though there is much cleaning and packing going on around here, I wanted to spend a few minutes sewing today.  These tiny little houses seemed to fit the bill nicely.  There is a dime on top to give you an idea of scale, though you can take a peek at the quarter in seam allowances as well to appreciate how tiny these little fellows are.  I can't decide whether I like them more or less scrappy.  So far I've made all the windows yellow because it seems cheerier that way.
I spent a good bit of time this morning doing prep work on more Midgets.  There are 10 blocks all ready to go in case of opportunities for hand work.  Lots of people seem to be making a mad dash to finish off projects before the end of the year, but I've already started in on what's next. 

Last ScrapHappy Saturday of 2011

It is the last day of 2011, and conveniently, a Saturday as well.  Take a few minutes to brag about your progress for the year or share schemes and plans for the new year.  Do you have a project picked out for the new year?  Share a link for those who are still waiting for inspiration.  Ready to jump in and get started?  RED is the first color of the new year.  Pull out your red scraps and start sewing!

2011 in Review

A Day's Work

For most of the day I sorted and trimmed and organized.  By the end of the day I had two things.

An empty scrap basket....

and a dining room table.

Taming Scraps

This morning I got almost entirely caught up on Orca Bay. I still have a pile of blocks and parts waiting for ironing. As soon as that is done I'll count to make sure I have enough of everything.  In any case, I'm ready for the new clue tomorrow.  I couldn't hide away all day though, so I pulled my scrap basket out and did some sorting at the dining room table so that I could keep tabs on all the comings and goings. 

  Then I spent most of the afternoon taming scraps.  They have been piling up in a basket for a while, waiting for a little attention. I focused on squares to feed the leader and ender projects, using my GO cutter to streamline the process.  I've got some tumbler blocks going as well as some more red and green bits for the double wedding ring table runner.   

Anything too small to get cut into a nice square or strip will get sorted into a crumb jar to become part of the new Rainbow Scrap Challenge. The jars are a little emptier than they were last year, but somehow they seem to keep producing lots of fun bits for blocks. 
Oh, I also updated my blog margins to show the midget blocks I've been working on for a while now.  I've gotten 66 done so far in about a year and half.  Each of the blocks that I've completed links to a post.  If nothing else, It will make it easier for me to keep track of which blocks are done.  

Brocolli, Carrots and Cucumbers

Today were are all being vegetables, chilling around the house and enjoying every minute of being home again.  The kids pulled out Christmas crafts and construction projects and set up camp around the kitchen table.  Wanting to be social, I pulled out some midget blocks to prep and joined in the fun.  Here is Sydney making perfume, Ryan building a trebuchet and Anna constructing a soda can robot.  Ahhh.....vacation! 

Tiny Tuesday

I took the four square quilt on our Christmas trip for binding purposes.  It was going to be for charity, but Mom really liked it, so I left it for her to use.  That left midget blocks for the way home.  I finished three midget blocks in the car, though posting pictures to my blog exceeded the capabilities of my phone. We are finally home though and I wanted to fix the botched post before collapsing into my own bed for a nice change. I tend to get a lot of handwork done on long car trips and had used up all of the "official" Midget Blocks suitable for applique. Sentimental Stitches has a set of applique blocks available for purchase though, so I did a digital download of those to keep me busy on trips. 

This one is called Diamond Star.  It is supposed to have embroidery between the diamonds, but I might leave it as is. 

Next up is Rose of Sharon.  Notice the rose fabric that I found?  It was in a stack of red I dug out for the scraphappy giveaway. 

The last one had some silly name like flower number 7.  I think I will call it Trumpet Flower instead,  I am fond of the red fabric here, I think it looks like seeds.