Eden Giveaway!

Lila Tueller is giving away some of her GORGEOUS new Eden fabric, a jelly roll & a layer cake! And even some of her brand spankin new patterns!
I am positively DROOLING! I haven't been allowed to buy fabric lately and I am going into withdrawl *HAHA*
This would help to keep me sane for awhile;-)
Go on over and enter for your chance to win!

Not craft related but....

I just have to share how happy I am!
Dh and I have been sponsers through World Vision for almost 1 year now. We started with one sponsered child in Zimbabwe. We loved it so much, we now have 2 more, from Malawi and Nicaragua, and you think, when starting out on something like this that you are trying to do your part in helping someone else have a better life, but that's only the beginning. Never did I imagine what it would do for me. 
I mean the things that are going on even now in other parts of the world are just heartbreaking. And that alot of the people who are hurting the most are children just tears me up inside.
We can't really afford to do this. We are struggling like alot of people, but it is important to take care of those less fortunate than ourselves. We may not have everything we want, but it's worth it to know that we are making a difference.
We received our annual pictures of our sponsered children this past week, along with letters from them, and updates on them, their families, and how we directly helped them and their communities. It is so awesome to see them smiling now, and to know that they are getting good food, clean water, medical care, and good schooling. Things that I take for granted living in the U.S.
Our youngest sponsered child just turned 2 in July and they sent her little handprint along with her picture.
I never knew that I could love these children as much as I do. I nearly cried getting these letters! I've never actually met them. But I feel honored and so thankful to God for letting me be a part of their lives.

9 patch is finished!

FINALLY!

This has been a work in progress for several months now.
I orignally started with AmandaJean and her 1st round of the 9 patch quilt along.  You can still join in round 2, going on right now. I got the top done in time, but didn't get around to quilting it and getting it bound until now.
I think I really had no idea how big this quilt was going to be.
This bad boy measures about 80x100! HUGE for me!
I tried something new in quilting it and tried my hand at grid quilting.
BIG BIG mistake to try this on a quilt so big! What was I thinking? Seriously?! I had never done anything like that before. Heck, I've only made a few actual quilts at all. I am totally new to this. My first really quilted quilt was given to my son's Kindergarten teacher this past June. So what's that? 3 months?
Anyway, I did it ala Amanda's tutorial, which is awesome, by the way. She makes everything look so easy! It probably would have been on a MUCH smaller quilt too!
She used painters tape to mark your lines. Very clever!
I will try this type of quilting again, but now I have learned from my mistakes and will hopefully not repeat them.
1. If I do a large quilt again, I will mark the top FIRST, all of it, so I can make sure that I have even lines all the way across.
2. I will start across the middle, instead of on a corner!
3. I will not rush it! I have real issues with rushing once I get to the end of a project. I just want to see it finished so badly and my mind is already straying to my next project I can start.
Anyway, here it is. I am happy overall. I can see the quilting mistakes, but I made it and we are always our own worst critics, right?
It is snuggly and full of crinkly goodness.
In the words of Jason and Grant from one of my favorite shows( Ghost Hunters) :
On to the next!

                                                 Laid out over a chair

                                              Close up

                                   Most of it. I could'nt get the whole quilt in one shot. It's that big.
                                                      Or maybe I'm just that short! Lol

                                      The back. All pieced from various prints from my stash.
                      I'm so happy that I did not have to buy one piece of fabric for this entire quilt!

                                                             All folded and snuggly 

                                                 Close up. Crinkly goodness. Yummmm     

Giveaway!

Vanessa over at V and Co is having a giveaway sponsered by The Quilt Shoppe!

You can win this gorgeous pattern and if that wasn't enough you'll also get the fabric to complete the top AND a $25 gift certificate to get your backing fabric too! CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT?!!? Isn't Lani just the best?!
Go on over there and enter for your chance to win!

Grandma's Quilt

Quicky Post just to show Grandma's quilt. She loved it. I wish I had had time to embroider the kid's names on the back, but I made this entire quilt in about 1 week so time was not on my side.
I loved the pattern though and will definitely do it again.


Front of Quilt
Made using this pattern. I wanted it a tiny bit bigger though, so instead of just the one large white border, I made a 2 1/2" inside border, then the 5 1/2" outer border in the cherry print.


Close-up

Close-up of quilting

Back of quilt

I just added a label framed with the same fabric as the front and wrote the kids names and ages on it.
Fabric is Oh Cherry Oh from Moda

Back is white Kona Cotton

2 ORBC Quilts done! ( well almost)

First, my unfinished one. Well, at least the top is finished:) I have to get some batting and then figure out what I want to back this one with. I made this one to take to the beach and park for us to chill out on.
I'm really happy with the way it turned out. I think the colors look so pretty together. Don't you just love Heather Bailey?!

And, my for real finished quilt, the one I did while participating in the ORBC Quilt along, which was so much fun by the way. I have finished my 2 quilts that I did for that now and it was so much fun! They really come together quick, especially once you get your strips cut!

Finished Quilt!

Back of Quilt. I'm not sold on the back, but eh, it's the back, I won't be seeing that side much, right? ;)

Close-up of binding. Boho Blossom by Michael Miller

So, that's what I have done in craft world. In the real world, my ds started 1st grade Monday(*sniff sniff*) so we are getting back into the swing of things being busy again after a lazy summer.

How was your summer?