I now have 2,000 squares of fabric in my house...

And we're only HALF way there! Jeepers! Yikes! Holy fabric squares, Batman!

Bethany from NE and Andi from AZ sent the next two sets, and I'm embarrassed to say that in the excitement of ripping packages open and gazing upon piles and piles of adorable novelty prints, I totally lost track of which set came from Bethany and which came from Andi. Sorry, ladies. Fabric does funny things to me. I have so many favorites among these that I don't even know where to begin...

Mel from MO sent these...lots of fun boy prints in this group...

Jenna from IL sent these cuties...love that bacon & egg print!

And my lovely cousin Monica from TX sent these...which marked her first trip to her local fabric shop! Good job, Monica! Those chili peppers totally make me think of you!

And last but not least my lovely sister-in-law and most-favorite co-host, Wendy, of "Sewing in the Wendy City" fame sent these beauts...surf boards are definitely my faves...

And that wraps up all the squares that are currently in my house. Here's to the next 2,000!

Horses and Hippos and Dice...OH MY!

I've received one package in the mail every day since Friday with I-SPY fabric...how fun is that?

Katherine from Washington sent these...

Whitney from Ohio sent these...

and Natalie from DC sent these...

I know it's impossible to choose, but which ones are your favorites? I have a special place in my heart for chocolate chip cookies.

I Spy a Swap - Set #1

Shirley from Missouri sent these. Aren't they cute? My camera is dying, so the colors aren't totally accurate...the horseshoes & buttons are actually on green backgrounds.

I-Spy Swap Mailing Status

If you're participating in the I-SPY a Swap, please leave me a comment when you have mailed your fabrics. Also, please try to have your fabrics in the mail by August 1st. Thanks!

Here's a list of what has been received so far...

1. Shirley from MO
2. Natalie from DC
3. Whitney from OH
4. Katherine from WA
5. Andi from AZ
6. Mel from MO
7. Bethany from NE
8. Monica from TX (hey cuz!)
9. Wendy from TX (the best co-host ever)
10. Jenna from IL
11. Dianah from CA
12. Liz from CA
13. Gail from MO
14. Deanna from FL
15. Annie from TX
16. Donna from PA
17. Deb from New Zealand
18. Gina from TX
19. Anna from WA
20. Meredith from...my house!

I SPY a Swap!

My sister-in-law and I are co-hosting a swap called....

{drum roll}

I-SPY a swap!

The details:

• The first 18 people are in. Go to Wendy's blog to sign up...


• Each person will send (20) 4" squares from each of 10 novelty fabrics (a total of 200 squares) to me by August 1st.
  
• You will receive (200) 4" novelty squares (enough for 2 small I-SPY quilts or 1 large one). We’re hoping to send packages out by August 15th, but that depends on how long it takes everything to come to us.
  
• Live outside the U.S.? No problem! Just try to get your fabrics to us a little earlier.


• We'll post a list of participants' blogs on each of our blogs, so hopefully you'll go visit everyone's sites and leave some bloggy love, make some friends, and generally fill the world with peace and happiness.


• Just because we like you, we’ll even draw up and post some patterns you could use for arranging the squares in order to get a certain sized quilt.

A few thoughts & guidelines on the fabrics…

• Most fabric stores have a dedicated novelty fabric section. Generally these are fabrics with objects…animals, food, people, etc. It may help to think in terms of things you could use for the I-spy game. (I spy the letter G, I spy a sushi roll, I spy a monkey eating a banana, etc.)


• In order to avoid duplicate patterns, go on a mission for some really obscure, hard-to-find prints that aren’t available at the chain retailers.


• No team prints or licensed characters (SpongeBob, Dora, etc.) So, for example, a print with basketballs would be great, but a Dallas Mavericks print is not. Or a print with ducks wearing hats is great, but Donald Duck is not.


• The object in the fabric should be distinguishable in a 3.5x3.5 square (which will be its finished size). Keep this in mind when choosing fabrics. Either go with small prints or be ready to fussy-cut.


• You can get (20) 4" squares out of a 1/4 yard cut of fabric or out of a fat quarter. So you'll need to purchase at least 2-1/2 yards of fabric.

What is an I-Spy quilt? It's a quilt made with novelty fabrics. And it's a wonderful toy to play I-spy with. Great for traveling with kids or rest time or when you need something to occupy little ones. How to play? Take turns spotting something in the quilt, maybe "I spy, with my little eye, a frog in a tutu!" And then the first person to point out the tutu frog on the quilt goes next. And so on. Hours and hours of fun!