When life gives you scraps.... you make orphans! Orphans complete....so two more 2 Ufo's too!

I am off to Phoenix tomorrow, to work for my sister at a conference out there...no time to play, but with lots of sitting in airports...I decided to take some orphan strips..... the messy pile in the top photo, and began sewing them together similar to the many fat quarter lap quilts I have seen. But I had a few extra squares...so they became a little block strip near the outer border....but still had more strips....so made another lap quilt. These together are about the size of a queen...and I did have two names in our family exchange...so they are off to Pennsylvania for the Family Christmas party. I will be spending my time in the airports wisely sewing down the bindings. I am so pleased.... two Orphan UFO's..... kind of like a two for one! HAd to include a photo or two of the Princess and the Wee One from Thanksgiving..... we did so have a good time...but I forgot to have backup power..for my camera and missed some good shots! And My SSCS swap has been received in the Netherlands.... so here is what she will be opening on Christmas Day. All the little goodies are inside this huge stocking.... can't share the contents until after Christmas. Don't you love the cool wood carved bowl from Africa in the background? I keep Bread or fruit in it...depending on the need at the moment. And the candy thermometer I use to make Christmas candy....in this case ....Pralines. Yummmy. Still have some baking to do...but almost caught up with where I wanted to be at this time. The professor and I put up our outside lights ...all our little iron trees...and the blowup snowman. So I feel like that is complete...except for the greenery lining the driveway. The Professor says we need to put some lights in the back yard...for the kids.... we will have 4 of our grandkids here for Christmas. Good times ahead. Hope you all had a great weekend...and a good week to come.

Back on my soap box.....

OK, I have left behind many things I hold dear in South Africa.... some intentionally ...some not so! Just before I left, I posted two parcels to myself...full of last minute gifts, and a few more peices of precious fabric...and a handful of household things..that I NEEDED that last two weeks after the container was packed. Well.... I must have CRAZY written on my forehead. My husband asked me why I would waste money.... quite a bit..as in almost 200 US to send two boxes to me. One weighed about 15 lbs.... and the other...weighed about 25 lbs. This week....I received the second package on MONDAY.... considerably lighter.... it weighed under 3 pounds!!! They had stolen all the cookbooks...and a Bible printed in Afrikaans.... and my wicker tea tray... and an orphan quilt that I had almost finished...and a double quilt top flimsy. They left the half square triangles...( so obviously it wasnt' a quilter...or those would have gone first!!!!*0* ) They took a Mandela shirt I had had made for my husband...and all the big pieces of fabric! Now I was pretty cheesed off as you can imagine.... and wrote a very nasty email to the SA post office. I did receive a very nice email saying " that an investigation had been opened concerning my parcel"... but they NEVER asked me what was in the parcel exactly!????? So how does that work. So now I don't have my special fabric...or the last two quilts I made... and worse...my Raj curry powder..and a cople of cute rusk tins didn't make it. Now the really cruddy thing was that the box...was clearly marked fabric...clothing..but it arrived all coverded in grease...like it had been in an auto parts box.....and they even carefully taped it back shut! But the final straw was that there was a bill...dated March 23, for a scholastic book club....addressed to someone else..... inside my box???? Which is why you should never trust foreign mails. I should have knows better...but ....there you go. In other news...I did start hand quilting on my scrap quilt which did arrive safely in my suitcase! May as well get it going....so I can sleep under it this winter! Then had to share this crazy picture. I think this may only occur...in America! Driving down the road to the store...and I pass some seedy places...XXX store...but not only is it an ADULT store...but you can rent your UHAUL there!!! Is it just me...but for one small minute...felt like I was back in South Africa!Hope you all have a great weekend.

Finally got some quilt photos...Orphan and stash busting...

Well, the color isn't great...they seem washed out...but I at least can show I HAVE been doing something! This started at my "Craft" group when a basket of Orphan blocks was passed around. These were not pieced squares..but literally cut squares.I chose after everyone else had picked. But the blocks were heavier curtaining, and 7 1/2 " or less. I decided to add them to cream,then set them in the simple grid,added more fabric scoured from the "garbage" bins that some other quilters had donated to our group, will bring home to the States next month...with enough of the dark burgundy scraps to make as big as I need to finish. Have also, finally finished the center of my tesselation... made from my stash...of leftover scraps! Have no idea what to do now, since I did use scraps???? Will think on it. Then, have been trying to work on my Baltimore blocks....so have a photo of those....as well. I have a close up of the rose wreath, definitely the most challenging one I have done thus far.Man my old camera must have some damp inside the lens.It is blurry just in the corner.shame the burglar stole the good one of our old digital cameras! But you get the idea, We have an all day Baltimore class this weekend, to decide how we are going to proceed with our squares. I am hoping to find a couple of nice blocks...I am pretty much doing my own thing now, not necessarily what the other girls are doing.I think I have more time in the car maybe, for handwork???? Figure I will try to take several blocks with me when I go to the states..as I will be spending hours in the airport waiting for flights...just can't take scissors...a royal pain...when doing cutaway applique! I have to get going on these projects I know.Time is flying this week. The weather has turned wonderful...spring is definitely here in the mountains....of South Africa. I am so ready....actually haven't had to wear a jacket too many times the past week. There is a huge cricket tournament going on now....called the World Cup 20/20 and I ADORE cricket! Just hoping I don't get sidetracked in front of the telly too much! Not good for my sewing habit!