I Spy Fabric...Last of the Pictures

Hi all my I Spy Swappers. I just received the last package yesterday, so I thought I would share the final batch of pictures with you. These are all so great and varied...we are going to have a such a wonderful I Spy quilt. This batch will not disappoint!! The pictures aren't so clear for some reason, but the fabric is just beautiful in person
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This first set is from Sandra in Ohio

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Next is from Laurie in Ohio
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These are from Linda in Georgia

and these are from Tina in Rhode Island.

This set was sent in from Lexi in D.C.

and these are from Char in Mississippi.
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These are from Sheila in Ohio
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Sara from Ohio sent in these.
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and these are from Kelly in Ohio as well...wow lots from Ohio in this group!
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Judy from Texas sent these in.
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and these are from Donna, another Texan.
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The last set is mine, but I'm not sure what that shadow is on the last fabric, because it's not there in person.
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Ok, they're all in. I will start separating them this week. It may take me a little bit to separate them, package them up and then mail them out, but I will let you know when they are off to the post office. Hopefully they'll be in the mail next week.

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Thanks again for being a part of this swap...it's been such fun and I've loved meeting a lot of new friends. This definitely won't be my last swap. I'm hoping to do another in January some time.

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I'm off to work on my sewing room, so I can have space to separate all the squares. All the furniture painting and woodwork is done. Now I'm loading stuff back in. I've been taking pictures along they way, so I'll share them when it's all done. I haven't heard from the insurance company yet...I'll have this beautiful sewing room, but no sewing machine. I think I should be hearing from him this week...keep your fingers crossed.

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Take care,

~Karen~

Oops...Forgot One

Sorry, I didn't download this picture from my camera. I think I'll blame it on the scanner/camera wizard from the last post.
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This great set of I spy fabric is from Di from NY...thanks Di...too cute


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Stay tuned for 2 great recipes...
~Karen~

I Spy Fabric and Great Blogs to Share...

Hi everyone...it's Sunday morning here in the northeast. It's cold, raining cats and dogs and the wind is whipping. We went to church last night, so we are in for the day...woo hoo! I am determined to catch up, catch up, catch up. I know you all know that feeling, but I am going to do it today. I'll do a post tonight to let you know how far I've gotten...just putting pressure on myself from the whole world...that ought to get things done.
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Here's the first thing on my list, sharing the 3 packages of fabric I received this week from our I spy swappers. For some reason on Saturday when I put the memory card in the scanner of the computer, the picture/scanner wizard thingy didn't pop up and let me down load the pictures. It did it earlier this week, not sure why it didn't do it Saturday and it gave me a little trouble this morning. Must not be much of a wizard then!
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Well, here are the cutest fabrics...I say it every time, but they get better and better, with no duplicates. Don't forget to check below these pictures for links to 2 wonderful blogs I have to share.
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This set is all the way from Holland from Kim
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These are from Elizabeth in Mississippi.
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and these are from Pokey in California.
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Thanks ladies for another unbelievable batch of fabrics.
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Remember the post I did that linked all the swapper's blogs. Well, Lynda from Maine just started one right after that list, so I wanted to share her blog with all of you.

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The name of Lynda's blog is From My Farmhouse Window. You must go see her beautiful pictures of the fall foliage and of course her beautiful quilts! Go take a peek.

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Another swapper Lexi from Tea and Crumpets wanted me to share a blog called Craft Hope.

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From the about page of Craft Hope it explains "Craft Hope is a faith-based, love inspired project designed to share handmade crafts with those less fortunate. It is our hope to combine our love for crafting and desire to help others into a project to make a difference around the world."

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There are different project happening all the time. The most recent one is "Margaret's Hope Chest". Please go read about it on the Craft Hope's blog, but Margaret's Hope Chest will provide a quilt to homeless children in the Grand Rapids, Michigan Public School System during the Christmas season. The deadline is November 15th, but you may already have a quilt made from your stash that you could send.

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Thanks for stopping by and now I'm off to start checking things off my "To Do" list.. one of which is a recipe I have to share with you later.

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See you soon,

~Karen~

Another Batch of I Spy Fabric...

Sorry these pictures are a little late in the weekend. I picked up Courtney at college on Friday for the long weekend break. Saturday we were busy dying her hair, doing laundry, going to a pumpkin farm for mums and pumpkins and then out to dinner. The kids also went to "Trails of Terror" later that night and were scared to death. No really...they came home petrified, laughing, talking fast and telling stories! They went on a haunted hay ride and a haunted maze in the pitch dark. Sunday we went to church, out to breakfast and then our town has a very big Columbus Day Parade. Kelsie marched as one of the captains for the dance line team with the high school marching band. After the parade, we came home for a nice homemade dinner of spaghetti, meatballs and sausage and it was yummy. Family fun the whole weekend and we still have one more day off.
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So now I'll stop talking and show more pictures of the I Spy fabric I received last week for the swap. They are all so cute and still no duplicates!!!
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This first set is from Angel in Washington:

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and these are from Naoko all the way from Japan!!
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the next are from Della in Ohio
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then there are these from Annette in Utah:

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and Evelyn from Washington sent these:
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Sandra from Australia sent this next set and I have to mention that she fussy cut the trains for us. Thanks Sandra for the extra work!
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The next set is from Zlaty in Pennsylvania:
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and these are from Robin in Florida:
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and last but not least, Diane set these from Florida:
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With these last sets, that makes 24 packages already!! A very big thank you to everyone. So excited for the mail next week. Tomorrow is a holiday here in the states, so no postal delivery. Don't they know we have a swap going on here? I keep holding back on buying my fabric. I purchased one type already, but I have the advantage of waiting, so I won't have a duplicate. It's killing me not to buy what I've seen so far in our local quilt shop. I'll have more pictures when new ones come in this week.

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Take care,

~Karen~

I Spy Fabric and a Great Blog to Share...

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Hi Everyone...I received more packages in the mail at the end of last week from some of our I Spy swappers, so I wanted to share the pictures with you. Remember, if you want to be surprised...don't scroll down.
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Before I show you the pictures, I want to share a wonderful blog from Ky, one of our swappers. Ky's group blog is called Sew Many Pieces. Here is the description I copied from their blog with the permission of Ky. Thanks Ky!!!
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"Welcome to our on-line group of quilters. This is a place where we share ideas and information, we show and tell what we are working on, and get advice and encouragement. If you have thought about creating a blog, but didn't want the hassle or thought you might not write enough to make it worthwhile, then you are welcome to join us here. You don't have to know anything at all about blogging, we'll help you out! We are taking new members, just send us an e-mail if you would like to join our group!" projectwisdomkeepers@yahoo.com
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Isn't this the best idea for those of you who want to share, but don't have the time or energy to keep up a full blog. I know there are a few of our I Spy swappers who don't have blogs, so this would be a great place to showcase your I Spy quilts once you've put them together or any other projects you are working on and want to share. Just wanted to pass this wonderful blog along just in case you weren't aware of it.
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Now onto the pictures of some more fantastic fabrics:
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These are from Lynda in Maine.

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These are from Jenn in South Carolina.
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The next squares are from Ky in Texas.

and these are from Mary Grace in Massachusetts.

The next set is from Paulette in Canada!

and these are from Susan in California

and last, but certainly not the least are the squares from Marci in Michigan

I am still amazed by the wonderful selection of squares that keeps coming in...They are all so cute. I'll be checking in again with more pictures once the packages start coming in again this week.

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See you for Tool Time tomorrow,

~Karen~

Warning...I Spy Pictures!!!

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Hi I Spy swappers...remember if you would like to be surprised when you receive your fabrics, do not scroll down any farther. Ahhh...don't do it. I saw the page move a little!!! Back up to the top of the page!!
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For those of you who would like to take a peek now...here they are
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From Angela in Oregon:

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from Mary in California:
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from Annie in New York:

from Rochelle in Tennessee:

from Anne in Australia:

from Elaine:

from Michelle in Florida:

and from Nancy in Georgia:

Thank you so much for sending in your squares. Aren't all these fabrics just wonderful? It would take a lifetime to collect 120 different I Spy fabrics. Thanks for sending the return envelopes with the postage on it too. All your help is going to make the swap so much fun.

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I'll keep you updated when I get another big batch of packages.

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Take care,

~Karen~

List of Swappers...

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Thought I would share the final list of I Spy swappers. A few have dropped out, but I will definitely keep them on my list for next time. I have filled all the spaces and I'm waiting to hear from one friend for the last spot. The list consists of the swappers name, state or country and a blog if they have one. If you don't see your blog name, state or country, send me an email and I'll add it to the list if you want to share. After the mail comes today, I will post a picture of the fabrics I have already received. I will put a spoilers alert on the post, so if you want to be surprised when you get your squares in the mail, don't peek at that post. Sue (a fellow swapper) and I thought it would be a good idea to post a picture of the squares as they come in, because those of you who haven't purchased fabric yet, could see what I have already and it may prevent some duplicates. Just remember, if you don't want to see the squares on my next post later today, look for the alert!!
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Swappers:
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1. Paulette.......Canada......Sweet P Quilting and Creations
2. Pokey...........California..Pokeydot Quilting
3. Annette........Utah..........Sunshine Yellow
4. kjquilts.........Texas........Quiet Quilter
5. Sara..............Ohio...........The Quilting Bookworm
6. Sandra.........Australia
7. Anne............Australia
8. Laurie..........Ohio
9. Jenn.............So. Carolina..Life in Bonetown
10. Michelle.......Florida..........Nostalgic Cafe
11. Elaine.................................Miss L's Craft Room
12. Naoko...........Japan...........Bear's Patch
13. Evelyn..........Washington.Use the Loot
14. Kelly.............Ohio..............I Have a Notion
15. Rochelle.......Tennessee....Three Turns to Home
16. Donna...........Texas...........No One Here But Us Monkeys
17. Zlaty.............Pennsylvania...Zlaty Sews
18. Robin............Florida.........Rsisland Crafts
19. Marci............Michigan......Roaming Free 2010
20. Mary.............California.....Needled Mom
21. Mary Grace..New England...Hooked on Needles
22. Lexi...............Wash. DC.....Tea and Crumpets
23. Kim................Holland
24. Char
25. Linda A......Georgia
26. Ky...............Texas...........Sew Many Pieces
27. Nancy.........Georgia
28. Annie..........New York....Annie's Quilting Adventures
29. Di.................New York....Quilting is Blissful
30. Sheila..........Ohio..............Sheila's Quilts Plus
31. Angel...........Washington..Lil' Pieces of Heaven
32. Susan D.
33. Della............Ohio..............The Quilting Asylum
34. Lynda G......Maine...........From My Farmhouse Window
35. Diane...........Florida..........Sewman Maniac Quilter
36. Angela.........Oregon
37. Elizabeth.....Mississippi
38. Sandra.........Ohio...............Sew in Peace
39. Tina.............Rhode Island....Seaside Stitches
40. Me

Ok, that's all of us...wow, I think Ohio wins for the most swappers!!! If I missed anyone or if there is a mistake, please let me know.

Go visit your fellow swappers and become followers of their blogs...they are wonderful. I love all the inspiration out there.

See you soon with some pictures,

~Karen~

I Spy A Winner...

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It doesn't get any better than this! Random Number Generator picked #2 (picture below) and the winner is...
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Mimi, who said this...
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"OOooooh, yes, yes...please yes!!
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I love making I Spy quilts for babies and I am having two new grandchildren...one maybe this weekend and another in 2010
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I would LOVE to win your giveaway, so please count me in.
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Bend the corner up on my "ticket" to help my chances of winning, please!!;) "
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Well, I didn't even have to "bend the corner" of the number generator. I think she won, because that new baby wants to come out and see a new I Spy quilt.
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Congratulations Mimi!!!!

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I just need your snail mail address and you'll be ready to sew!!

Have a great night,

~Karen~

A Must Read for I Spy Swap...

Ok, don't shoot me, but I have a big heart and can't say no. There have been several people that really, really, really want to join. I actually emailed a few of them this morning to explain the swap was closed.
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However, I can't say no. After this addition to the list, I will say no (I think...no I will). So ladies, if you were one of the last few people who wanted in, your name is listed below and I have included you in my final list of I Spy swappers!!.
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So now here is the NEW swap information change:

• ALL SWAPPERS MUST CUT 40 (FORTY) 5 INCH SQUARES OF 3 DIFFERENT I SPY/NOVELTY FABRICS.

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• YOU CAN PROBABLY STILL GET THE EXTRA 8 SQUARES OUT OF THE 3/4 OF A YARD (OR 27 INCHES FULL WIDTH OF FABRIC) BUT BUYING A LITTLE MORE NEVER HURTS!!!

HERE IS THE LIST OF NEW COMERS:

1. LyndaG....you are in, but I need your email address (it was a "no reply") -confirmed
2. Elizabeth....I'll email you again to take back what I said earlier lol- confirmed
3. Sandra....you are in, but I need your email address
4. Angela....you are in and I'll send you another email to confirm - confirmed
5. Susan D....you are in and I'll send you an email too. -confirmed
6. Della....woo hoo Della, I'll email you too. -confirmed
7. Diane B (sewman maniac) I will email you too. -confirmed

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I ALSO NEED EMAIL ADDRESSES FROM:

(I know some of you have blogs that I could go to, but if you could email the address I can compile a master list on my gmail)

1. larry7pokey- Thanks Pokey
2. Anne Thompson- Thanks Anne
3. Miss L's Craft Room- Thanks Elaine
4. Rochelle- Thanks Rochelle
5. Nancy in GA- Thanks Nancy

I really want to thank everyone for joining my first swap and for understanding the extra squares. I know we all don't mind, because that is what this is all about...sharing, giving and bringing this big world a little closer. Ok, that was a little too deep, but you know what I mean...I love quilters...we all have big hearts (not as big as our fabric stash though lol)

More posts to come...you are going to be so sick of me by then end of this.

Have a great weekend,

~Karen~

I Spy Swap Update and Rules...

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Update: this swap is now closed. Thanks for your interest and look for another one soon!!!

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Hi everyone! What a wonderful turn out for this swap. There are 29 of us already. I'm thinking maybe a few more will be manageable for me, as this is my first swap...a total of 32 is good.
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It seems that it's the first time for a swap for a lot of us, so this is going to be exciting. I have this Friday off, so I will be emailing everyone directly tomorrow. I just wanted to answer and clear up a few questions that some of you have and post it for all to read here.
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• this is a centralized swap: which means one person is the host (me), so there will not be swap partners. This way everyone is guaranteed to receive a package back. All the squares will be sent to me. I organize all the fabric so we each receive the same kinds of squares and the same amount of squares. I will then return all the organize squares to you in the return envelope that you send with postage on it.
• you will be receiving 5" squares only (not a quilt or sewn blocks). This way you can do what you want with the squares.
• all fabric should be pre washed to avoid different shrinkage problems.
• I want to include everyone, including overseas and Canada. I'm going to the post office tomorrow to figure out the return postage issue. I did weigh some 5 inch squares (about 130) and the 2 envelopes. It weighs approximately 10-11 ounces.
• We have swappers from Canada so postage is about $3.83 (US) to send and $3.83 to return.
• We also have swappers from Holland, Japan and Australia. The first class international will be $8.84 (US) to send to me and $8.84 (US) to return.
• I just need to figure out how you will put the postage on the return envelope back to you , because it will be leaving the states and needs to have US postage on it. I will be speaking to someone tomorrow. I really want to figure this part out, because I so want to include everyone.
• if we have 32 swappers, each of us will send in 32 squares of 3 different fabrics. That means we will each get 96 different I Spy fabrics from all over the world!!

So here are the official rules for the 5 inch I Spy Squares

1. Purchase 3 different I Spy fabrics about 3/4 of a yard or 27 inches of each one. Pre wash fabric. Cut 32 (thirty two) 5 inch squares out of each of the 3 different fabrics.
2. Place the 96 squares in a plastic bag with your name and address on the bag. This will help if the outside envelope is torn in delivery. Your name will still be on the inside. It will also help protect it if the envelope gets wet.
3. Buy 2 envelopes. Address the outside envelope to me (I will email you all my address). Take the second envelope and address it to yourself.
4. Swappers in the states: bring everything to the post office and have it weighed with the second envelope inside the first with the squares. Whatever the amount of the outside envelope is, place the same amount of postage on the inside envelope with stamps only. DO NOT USE METERED MAIL. Metered mail will have your state on it, but the package will be coming from me.
5. Overseas and Canada hold off on postage until I email you.
6. Have all fabric squares mailed to me by October 31st. That's 6 weeks. If I get them all sooner, I will return them sooner.
7. I will organize and return all the squares in hopefully 2 weeks or less after the deadline

I hope this is all ok with every one. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask. I will always post the question and answer on a post for all to read.

If anyone needs to drop out for any reason, please let me know and we can work things out.

Good luck shopping for all the different novelty fabrics that are out there and have fun with.

~Karen~

I Spy Swap is a Go...Sign Up Here!

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Update: This swap is now closed. Thanks so much for your interest. Look for another one soon!

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Ok ladies, here we go. I am so excited to be hosting this I Spy fabric swap. I think this will be so much fun and just think of all the different fabrics we will be receiving. As of right now there were 26 comments for the poll, so including me that's 27. I'm thinking as the sign up goes along, there might be more. space

These are not the official rules, but just an explanation of how it will work. Once we get the set number of participants, I will re-post the specifics. Some people weren't sure if they would join until they knew how it works.space

This is what I was thinking:

• each person will purchase 2-4 different I Spy fabrics ( if there are a few people we'll do 4, if there are a lot of swappers, we can do 2)


• block size will be 5 inches square (remove selvage before cutting so there won't be a white edge on some of the blocks


• you will then mail me the blocks in a large envelope. Also in the package will be another envelope that is addressed to YOU and will have the appropriate postage already on it. (I'll explain this in detail later)


• there will be a deadline for when the squares are due


• once I receive them all, I will separate all the blocks so that each of us will get one square of every one's fabric.


• I will place all the squares in your pre-stamped envelope and mail them back to you.


• you can get 8 squares out of a 5 inch strip of fabric that is 42 inches wide.


• so just say we have 32 people in the swap. You will need to cut 4 strips of fabric (selvage to selvage) that are 5 inches wide. From each strip cut the 8 squares at 5 inches. This will give you 32 squares. 4 strips at 5 inches wide is 20 inches of fabric that you need.


• I always over estimate, so if you buy 3/4 of a yard of each that should be plenty.


• if we decide to do 4 different fabrics with 32 people, each of us will get back 128 squares


• I have noticed the issue of fabric quality seems to come up in other swaps. During this economic time period , I won't say "only quilt shop fabric". However, I think we all know when some fabrics are just not up to par. Just go by how the fabric "feels" and remember, what would you like to get in return.


• Some people asked...what exactly is I Spy fabric. It is also called novelty fabric. It's usually an all over print of foods, animals, bugs, holiday motifs, sports, trucks, leaves, musical notes etc. Just make sure the design is close enough together so you can see what the object is in the 5 inch square.


• sometimes the pattern is spread out wider on the fabric, you would have to fussy cut that so it showed up on the square. No one will want to fussy that many, so the closer the print the better. Look at the give away post to see some of the examples.


• one more thing about the fabric: no trade marked fabrics. An example of that would be, it's fine to have fabric with footballs all over it, but not fabric with The Patriots football team. It's fine for baseballs or bats all over, but not The Red Sox logo. I'm thinking that someone in Texas really wouldn't want a New England team. Once you get all your squares, you can always add your favorite sports team from your area.


• the only other issue is duplicates, but not sure how to avoid this. Maybe send me a picture of them as you buy them, so I can post it so every one can see before they shop.

Yikes, that was wordy...sorry about that. I'll be better next time. If anyone out there who has been is swaps feels I have left something out, please let me know.

Let's get started.

Sign up here on this post. Make sure I have your name and email address too.

Thanks to everyone for joining me on this adventure!!! I will post often to keep every one updated.

~Karen~

I have an "I Spy" poll...

I never realized that the "I Spy" squares give away would be so popular. I thought a few of you would comment and I would send out the fabric. However, it's only been 2 days and there are over 100 comments already!! I hate the fact that I can't give every one a pile of squares, but how about the next best thing!!!
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So, here is my question or poll...If I hosted an "I Spy" square swap, how many of you would be interested? I have never hosted a swap before, so I need to research it a little, but just want to know if it is something of interest.
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THIS IS NOT A SIGN UP!
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Just want to see if you'd like to. If there is enough interest, all who sign up could have an instant collection of I spy fabrics from all over the world.
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Ok...now I'm getting excited! Just let me know on this post if you're interested.
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See you tomorrow for TTT,
~Karen~

I Spy another Give Away...

I love having give aways...I love sharing, I love meeting new people, I love it all. So here's another little give away.
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My neighbor has a new grandson, so I was looking through my stash (which isn't very big these days...I'm trying the theory of use what I have). I realized I still have "I Spy" fabric and some of the squares are already cut!!
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I went on a cutting frenzy and cut all my I Spy fabric into 4 1/2" blocks.
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I know what you're thinking..."I Spy", who makes those anymore? Are you thinking that?... maybe not...I'm just thinking you're thinking that. Anywhoo, whenever a teacher has a baby at my husband's school or a friend has a baby, I most always make an I Spy quilt. People still come up to me today and say...you know that baby quilt you made my son, well, he loves it and still drags it every where. Now that he's older, he loves the matching game.
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I Spies are great for the bright colors for infants and as the child grows older, the quilts become a learning tool for colors, letters, shapes, animals, objects almost anything.
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You can turn this older I Spy idea into a new look with the sashing fabric you choose and the border fabric. Most of the time I use a great black and white polka dot for a border or sashing and always for the binding. It really makes the quilt pop.
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Yikes...I really tooted the I Spy horn here...you'd think I was starting an I spy company...all I'm doing is giving some squares away!!!
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Ok, I'll shut up now.
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You will receive two 4 1/2" squares of each of the 64 designs for a total of 128 blocks. You can set them in a number of ways:

• I take one set of squares and make the quilt. Set it 8 blocks x 8 blocks (32" square) or 7 blocks x 9 blocks (28" x 36"), this measurement is without sashing or borders.
• then you take the second set of matching blocks and make fabric cards to play a matching game when the child is older (they love this).
• or you could just take all 128 squares and make one big quilt
• or make 2 quilts out of the 2 sets and forget the matching game.

No matter how you make them, these squares are always great to have on hand for that quick, small quilt you need to make for a gift. All my fabric is pre-washed and comes from many different place. I have I Spy fabric from quilt shops, Jo-Ann's and Walmart just to let you know.

Easy rules: just leave me a comment and I'll pick a winner next Saturday September 19th.

These are all 64 designs: animals, sports, dance, foods, holidays, shapes,bugs, trucks etc...
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close up row 1
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row 2

row 3

row 4

Hope you like this one and good luck,

~Karen~