calendar quilt challenge '09

please join us on a special quilting journey.
let's make a calendar quilt together!!!

what's a calendar quilt???
well...
the idea is to make a strip quilt by adding ONE fabric for EVERY day of the year.
you pick the appropriate fabric for that day...
depending on holiday, occasion, or even your mood.

guidelines are SUPER simple:
***
does NOT have to cover a one year timeline.
{it can be a record/memory quilt.}
***
deadline for completion is one year.
our quilts will run from 01.01.09-01.01.10

this means the quilt top itself.

{quilting & binding can be completed by the end of january.}
***

you can work at your own pace.

you don't HAVE to do a strip a day.

you can do a week at a time.

{even a month at a time.}

***
PLEASE sign up by january 7th.

{you can sign up in comments.}

***
if you need a steer in the right direction, you can follow my lead.
{or feel free to alter these to make your own!!!}

i will be using:
365 - 1" x 10" strips {ALL from my stash.}
making 4 columns of strips. {3 months per column.}
3 sashing strips {10" wide.}
undecided on borders. {game day decision.}
i WILL use applique on my sashing strips.

there are endless possibilities for YOUR quilt.
NO two quilts will be alike.
{especially if you focus on busting your stash!!!}

another really cool point is this:
sometimes i feel guilty for not sitting at my machine EVERY single day.
this challenge will ensure that i will.
so to me...this is like 2 challenges in one.

now i can NOT take credit for this idea.
ALL credit goes directly to pat sloan.
you can find VERY detailed ideas/instructions in her book "favorite techniques"

{yall can see a picture of pat's calendar quilt through that link as well!!!}
thank you pat SO much for this inspiration!!!

please sign up by january 7th.
this will ensure that we all start at around the same time.
{it's SUPER easy to catch up...just sew your first 7 strips together.}

if we have at least 25 people sign up...
i'll make a new blog dedicated to THIS project!!!
we'll be able to share pics easily and motivate each other.

thanks in advance for signing up.

if you do join in...please copy the button on my taskbar.

i'm SUPER excited to host my first challenge.

if yall have ANY questions feel free to ask them.
i'll answer them in the comments for all to see.

baby quintan has arrived!!! {updated.}

{photo to come}
photos are here!!!

baby quintan has arrived!!!

quintan tate
7 pounds 11 ounces.
19 1/2 inches long.
born at 8:57 pm
{colorado time.}

yayyy i'm auntie rachel again!!!

these are cell pics.

{but at least they are pics!!!}
and yes i cried like a baby!!!

i'm aloud. tehehe.
more pics coming soon...promise.

but seriously...isn't he cute???

i can see alot of our side of the family in him.

especially our brother zachary.

and look at my baby sister...she has the 'mommy' look.

*sniff sniff*

what i wouldn't give to be in colorado right now!!!

it's killing me.

but thank god for technology!!!

mommy & baby are BOTH doing awesome.
thanks for the concerned emails.

yall are the best!!!

secret santa's revealed.

o' righty.
i had the pleasure of playing secret santa to miss chookyblue.
{yes...THE chookyblue!!!}
she seems to ♥ it...yayyy!!!
what you are looking at is a little wall quilt with a matching fabric basket.
i also sent her an american quilting magazine.


now my secret santa was miss julie.

{for some reason it won't let me post a link to her blog.}
thank you, thank you, thank you julie!!!
my daughter immediately fell in love with the ornaments.
i can't wait to put them out on the tree next year.
my kids devored the chocolate by the way.

the secret santa christmas swap was great!!!
thanks again to donna for hosting!!!
{you rock donna!!!}

hi-5

just so yall know...
the crayon rolls were a huge hit.

skylar started enjoying hers almost immediately.
:D

mal ethel update:
still in rehab. doing great. spirits are good.

and as we speak...
my baby sister is in a hospital in colorado springs having my newphew!!!
updates on that AS SOON AS i get them.
promise.

our kiddos.

the 1st of many...here is a pic for yall.

you are looking at all SEVEN of sean & i's kids.

aren't they a great looking bunch???

from left to right:
melanie, skylar with gabriel, connor, chase, jackson & andrew.

my momma ♥'s this pic.
of course i do too!!!

we had a blast.
we basically shopped, baked, & ate.
haha.

more pics to come.
promise.

a jolly christmas.

well we made it back home safely.

we had a jolly christmas.

we got in at about 10:45 last night.
gonna spend today unpacking.
joy.

gonna have blogging back on track tomorrow.
promise.

did yall miss me???

i kid. i kid. i kid.

hope yall had a GREAT christmas.
can't wait to catch up!!!

merry christmas.

from our house...to yall's.

♥ the griffith family

home sweet home.

just wanted yall to know that we are here safe.
:D


when i first saw sean {awake} i cried like a baby.
i got to hug him for about 2 whole minutes.
THAT is the best christmas present EVER!!!
i said awake because we didn't get here until 1:45 am.
he was asleep but i snuck in his room and kissed him on the head anyways!!!


it makes my heart feel good to just be able to hug my brother whenever i want.
{and of course pick on our momma together.}
i'm SO glad we are together again.
i'm not sure how we've done it all these years!!!


we HAVE taken lots o' pics.
but we HAVEN'T uploaded them yet.


more to come.
promise.

going ho ho home.

today is the day!!!

we are going ho ho home for christmas!!!

snow is coming down in ohio.

it's 65' in charleston.

wow.

home is really georgia to me.

but charleston is close enough to call it home.

it's still the south.

AND momma & sean are there!!!

so momma...for christmas you get to have:

me & sean TOGETHER again!!!

and all SEVEN grandbabies in the SAME house!!!
so merry christmas to you!!!

♥ us

we'll see you in about 14 hours!!!

HOURS baby!!!

{we're leaving in 4 hours!!!}

rachel's going home!!!

the south will rise again.

i kid i kid i kid.

i'm just SUPER excited.

update on mal ethel:

she is doing great!!!

she was moved into a rehab room yesterday.

AND i got to talk to her for about 1/2 a minute.

{the doctor came into the room.}

thank yall again for the prayer!!!

yall rock my socks off!!!

tomorrow.

tomorrow.

tomorrow.

i'll be there tomorrow.

you're only a day...away!!!!

momma's house tomorrow yall!!!

SO excited!!!

busy day.

having a busy day yall.

baking cookies.
doing laundry.
packing.

freaking out a little bit.

lol.


momma's house on friday!!!

yayyy!!!


update on mal ethel:
she made it through surgery okay!!!
{thank god!!!}
they had to put a pin in her hip.
apparently she laid in the floor for 1 1/2 hours before someone found her.
she tripped and fell because she stubbed her toe.
how sad!!!
poor thing.


i just wanna say thank yall for all the emails i got about her.
it really made my heart feel good.
please continue to pray.
♥

please pray.

i got a heartbreaking phone call today.

to make a long story short:
my great grandmother fell and broke her hip.

we call her mal.

{pronounced 'mawl' for all yall northerners.}

it just breaks my heart to think about it.

i believe that prayer is powerful!!!
our god is an awesome god.
he's blessed her SO much!!!
she has many children.
TONS of us grandchildren.
{grands, great grands, great great grands. and even great great great grands.}
and god cured her breast cancer without ANY treatments.
that's just to name a few of her blessings.

she honestly is the sweetest woman i've EVER known.
she's my hero, my idol.
she always has been...and always will be.

she has seen and gone through things that i can't fathom.
losing her parents. losing her husband{s}. losing her kids. losing her grandkids.

i can't imagine a world without her.

please pray for my mal ethel.
she really is the backbone of my daddy's side of the family.

sweet baby kisses.

my sister got it!!!
today!!!
impressive since i mailed it friday.
{it was worth paying the extra money.}


she promised me on friday that she would call me AS she was opening the box.
and she did!!!
{good girl.}


this is my sister's 1st baby.
she's due the 22nd...but she's really about to pop.
tehehe.


it's hard being in ohio while she's in colorado...
but at least her & baby quintan will have a piece of me in their house at all times.


this quilt was SO fun to make.
it seriously turned out SUPER cute.
cuter than i envisioned.


the pattern is called sweet baby kisses.
{it was in the winter 07' quilts & more magazine.}
SUPER easy.
SUPER cute.


my sister LOVES it!!!
she thought that the diaper bundles were the cutest things.
they made her giggle.
and i was SO lucky to find an outfit that matched the fabric perfectly.
how lucky was i on that one???
:D


please trust me when i say...
"my camera doesn't do the fabric ANY justice."
{getting a new camera SOON. hopefully.}


and of course as soon as i get pics of him wrapped in his quilt...
i'll share them with yall.

the doghouse.

this is for the hubby's out there.

stay out of the doghouse this holiday season.

ladies...

just sit back & enjoy.

december 13th: melanie day.

happy birthday miss melanie nicole.
♥

i believe that god gave me melanie for SO many reasons.
she has such a special place in my heart.
not to say that she's my favorite.
{how could i choose???}
but she does tug on a certain heartstring that my boys don't.

the mommy/daughter relationship is such a special feeling.
i can't even explain it.

happy 3rd birthday to my melsie.
mommy ♥'s you SO much.

<3 it!!! {2nd post for today.}

so i HAD to do it.

i HAD to go to walmart and get this.

why did i HAVE to have it???

well because that's nanette's quilt in the picture!!!

i've been dying since the 7th to get it.

{that's when nanette told us about it.}

SUPER cute quilt!!!

SUPER cute issue!!!

run {don't walk} to your local walmart and get your own!!!

crayon roll tutorial.

i whipped up a few of these for my niece & nephews.

thought yall might wanna join in.

i'll be giving these crayon rolls {plus sketch pads} to them for christmas.

takes less than an hour...so it makes for a quick gift.

enjoy.

you'll need:

one 7 1/2" x 12 1/2" rectangle for pocket. {doodle print.}

one 6 1/2" x 12 1/2" rectangle for cover. {doodle print.}

one 6 1/2" x 12 1/2" rectangle for lining. {purple print.}

one 2 1/2" x 42" for binding {purple print.}

one 1 1/2" x 42" for tie {purple print.}

WRONG side inside, fold & press 7 1/2" x 12 1/2" rectangle in half lengthwise.
{to make 3 3/4" x 12 1/2" pocket rectangle.}

layer:
6 1/2" x 12 1/2" cover rectangle WRONG side up
6 1/2" x 12 1/2" batting rectangle
6 1/2" x 12 1/2" lining rectangle RIGHT side up
pocket rectangle.

pin layers together.
{i purposely laid those fabrics in the 1st pic wonky: some people need visual examples.}

quilt using straight lines beginning 1 1/4" from short edge.

continue quilting straight lines at 1" wide intervals across surface of roll.

leave 1 1/4" quilted along opposite edge.

{this will make enough slots for 12 crayons.}

to make tie:

fold & press 1 1/2" x 42" srip in half lengthwise.

WRONG side inside.

open strip and press long edges to center fold line.

topstitch 1/8" from folded edges.

knot each end of tie.

trim excess fabric at an angle to prevent raveling.

fold tie in half.

pin center of tie to lining side of roll, aligned to the edge.

stitch in place.

bind.

make sure to keep tie ends free from stitching.

and viola.

you have a crayon roll.

if there are any questions...ask em.

i'll answer them in the comments.

gracie lou's.

warning:

clicking on the above pic could result in spending even more of santa baby's money.

you have been warned.

yayyy.

i'm excited!!!
why???
well my bestest gal pal {mandie} and her hubby {jimmy} are coming over tonight!!!
yayyy!!!

with both of our hubby's working retail and her teaching at the college...
we can't EVER get all 4 of us together!!!
i know...isn't that horrible???

well tonight's the night!!!
all four of us together!!!
just us friends!!!
♥

so all of us will be jolly.
we'll eat good food.
my kids will see aunt mandie & uncle jimmy.
our hubby's will be able to talk hubbyish things.
manders & i will end up on my couch watching f.r.i.e.n.d.s
now that just sounds like the perfect evening to me.