Sorry I’ve been missing in action. Sorry especially to all of you blockswappers looking for ideas. Well, quilt top number one is done. (Has been for a week.)

It will be a full size quilt, 80″x87″ (Denyse Schmidt standard size). It has 25 blocks on it spaced out by 7 1/2 inch sashing. It is so hard to photograph quilts! I’ll definitely have to figure out something MUCH better when it’s time to auction these off, but I hope you kind of get the picture. Gina of Quilter’s Buzz has graciously offered to machine quilt these babies. (It’ll be there soon Gina, I swear. My mom is coming into town this Thursday and is insisting that I wait to send it until she gets to see it.)

Our weekend was blissful, though busy.

We did a lot of yard work.

The nice thing about buying a house with 20 years worth of existing landscaping is that you can rearrange it like furniture! We tore out some bushes, moved some daylillies, divided fountain grass, and Voila! Brand new yard! This iris was a transplant from back yard to front yard last year. They were GOGEOUS this year. No purchase necessary

And we had a friend’s dog for a few days.

They were in dog heaven. The mud, the big yard, the wrestling matches…they were worn out without so much as a growl. I’m glad it’s over, though. My house is too small for two big dogs and 3 kids.

So, now I am working out an arrangement for the last charity quilt. I want it to be totally different. I think I’ll use curry for the background and figure out some way to have all the blocks close together. As fun as this is, I’m ready to be done! I have a whole sketch book full of Gocco ideas, but I’m not letting myself do them until these quilts are off to Gina’s to be quilted!

I spent ALL DAY stuffing envelopes. I had quilt blocks strewn all over the floor of my art room so that I could see them all, then tip-toed through and stuck them to my flannel wall. Time flew! When I was ready for a lunch/potty break it was already 4:00 PM and I started about noon!

Every set is different and just awesome! The combinations were endless and tons of fun to sort through.

So, all you swappers, I’m taking my laundry basket to the post office on Monday. That means your blocks will be in your very own mail box late next week!

The blocks from Canada arrived, so all packages will be sorted and sent in the next few days!

Gwen was so sweet and made up for the late arrival by sending these awesome fabric squares. I’m way excited to add them to my scrap buckets!

(And, yes, this picture is taken on my bathroom counter ’cause I opened the package while giving my kids a bath. There is good light in there:))

Oh, and I posted a picture of each of the blocks I kept for the charity quilts in my flickr Blockswap set. I’ll do more photo documentation as I finish sorting, I promise.