It's my party and I'll eat cake if I want to!

Today is my BIRTHDAY!

I don't always celebrate it actually, but I'm trying to embrace moments in my life a little more often and celebrate with things that really make me happy!  This year it was a Harry Potter dinner party with friends and kiddos!  We made sausage rolls, herbology bites, treacle tarts, spider eggs, had proper crackers to pull at the table and of course, a perfectly appropriate birthday cake.  (Bless my girls for being so thoughtful!)  My friend K even went and got bottles of Pumpkin Juice and Butterbeer - it was a wonderful night!  Here's to surviving (and even enjoying 44 years!)

It all comes together!!

I took a little bit of time off from online while I wrapped up a couple of projects including the surprise quilt for my friend K.  I took a couple of pictures along the way...

It's been so much fun to open packages by all of the amazing women from the FandominStitches Project of Doom 2015 FB page, who volunteered time and talent and effort by making a block or two!!  We've been posting them as they come in and finally - all of them are here and we had to monkey around with the layout to get it looking JUST RIGHT.

And then I quilted the blocks with the batting...

and then I sewed them into rows and put them on shelves....

And then we had to decide about backing fabric.... oh decisions decisions....  I loved both of these because the pulled all the colors from the other side.

and we went with the tie-dye trimmed in turquoise (because turquoise and purple do some serious poppin'!)  well, and because if K isn't in beachwear, or resortwear - she loves bright popping colors...

and then we sewed the front to the back (by stitching along the shelves strategically)

And finally - it was all ready to take over, just in time for her surgery...
Delivery was emotional and sweet - she was absolutely floored.

And this - THIS is why I love doing things like this.  

K was truly surprised and tickled pink that she had been given this quilt.  She messaged me after we left still a bit in shock, but so so so thankful.  I love that I have such amazing quilting friends, and get to be a part of such an amazing community.

Monday Mail Call - so cute for K's quilt!

This week at the mailbox...

I am loving the mystical creatures and mermaids!!!  (K has a special affinity for creatures, in particular mermaids - **squee**  I know she's going to love this).

AIR's Multifandom Quilt progress

I got a lot done this past month!  I'm hoping to get these put together before December, but we'll see.

AIR got her name (Artist in Residence) because she has always had a huge love for art.  The paint tubes came from a non-FiS freebie pattern over at Craftsy and they went together really easily.  The ravenclaw came from the 5"patterns in the HP extras section from the FiS page.  

This Malificent is an amazing pattern -- I made it during testing process and there were a few issues with getting it to line up.  It was appropriate for AIR since we call her Malificent as a play on her name as well as her love for the movie.  I've done the stitching here - I think one of the hardest parts of the pattern was getting skin tones that were different enough, without being too different.

Smaug.  He's not called the Terrible for nothing!  The original pattern does not have a book, so it took a little creative sketching on the pattern before assembling to get it in there.  This was my first attempt at adding something that wasn't original to the pattern, so it's a little wonky - but I'm happy with the overall effect.

Alice at the door is a TweLoQ pattern from FiS that I pattern tested.  This was a tough pattern to get lined up, but worth the time it took.  

I began doing some purposely fussycut spines in this quilt - how fun is that preggy woman!

The Sonic Screwdriver and wand in homage to her faves of Dr. Who and Harry - I did the screwdriver as is on the pattern for size, but changed the colors.  The glass they are sitting in wasn't exactly as I wanted, but worked.

Bebe's quilt progress

We're making headway!  I feel like all I do anymore is quilt!!  Here's more of the squares from her Christmas Multifandom

a part of the regular PoD, I actually made a mistake leaving the left side on the bottom of this feather, but I liked the distinction from other quills I've sewn, so I left it!

You can't see it but those snitch wings are metallic - I like the effect it has in person - and those book spines - THAT is so Bebe!!  I love the contrast of them stacked!

Olaf - oh, Olaf.  I wasn't sure if I'd still have sanity at the end of Olaf.  I had to reduce down the pattern 1/2 size to get him to fit (which makes him a total of 5 inches) and let's just say that those twigs are TINY!  Happy with the result tho.

The Championship Egg - I was really surprised at how quickly this pattern came together and while I wish I'd enlarged it now, it worked.  Pattern from the FiS HP extras.

The original PoD

So my first ever piecing quilt.  Please forgive the awful photos.