The Crafty Procrastinator

Thankful for….

2011-11-23T16:40:00.001-05:00

these two.

Things are so different this year! Who knew last year that this year I’d have this little one!

She’s changed so much already. It feels like she was just born yesterday but she’ll be a month on Sunday!

So much to be thankful for this year! Wishing everyone a Happy Thanksgiving!

Baby Emma

2011-11-12T14:02:00.001-05:00

She’s here!!

Baby Emma was born on October 27th. She was a whopping 8 lbs 6 ounces and 22 inches long. Everything went well besides the 25 hours of labor in the hospital.

Emma is a little over two weeks old now so I snapped a few pictures of her on the latest quilt I completed.

This is a cheater quilt that I started at a guild sewing night. I saw the fabric print on someone’s blog (can’t remember who) and knew I needed to make this for the baby! It’s perfect for tummy time. I quilted it using an all over stipple and backed it with a Kona cotton solid. I saved the binding until I was “too” pregnant to feel like doing any other sewing so I finished it just days before Emma’s late arrival.

We’re all adjusting to being sleep-deprived and I almost feel like sewing again!

Scrap Bee Complete

2011-10-23T21:14:00.001-04:00

So my first and only bee is wrapping up. I have to say it worked out perfectly. We’re finishing up 2 months early as we had 2 participants drop out…who just happened to have the months of November and December. Perfect for me since who knows how much time I’ll have to sew with a newborn…who’s arrival is late!

For August. our bee mama asked for a block to make Mona W’s European Stories Quilt. A very easy block to make…I was really hoping to send Corley an appliqued block but nothing came out quite right so I fussy cut a MoMo print. I dove into the scrap basket for the border and love the scrappy outcome.

I was slightly confused about September’s block…Christine requested a Scrappy Depression Block, basically sewing a bunch of half square triangles together any way we wanted. I might have taken it a bit too literally, because my block looks nothing like anyone else’s….

Pam requested a monochromatic, crazy, scrappy block using Aneela Hoey's tutorial. We each picked a different color to send and although my pink scraps/stash far out weigh any other color I chose red to challenge myself. I like how it came out but I don’t think I could make more than 2 of these blocks ever. It’s good to try new things though.

I’m currently on maternity leave from work…baby girl is a little late arriving….5 days past so far! Here’s my 34 week belly at my last Phil’s game of the season!

Here’s hoping she comes soon!!

Milestones…

2011-08-12T16:35:00.000-04:00

For most of my pregnancy, I’ve been pretty quiet. But recently, I’ve hit a milestone and I want to celebrate.

28 weeks!!! { the point at which baby’s chance of survival outside the womb is 90%. Now obviously I want her to stay put for another 10-12 weeks but each milestone makes me breathe a little easier.}

28 week belly….{Edited: Currently ~31 weeks…just really behind in blogging}

At this point, I’m feeling incredibly unprepared. Baby’s room is in shambles…electrician isn’t coming until next week…and we haven’t really bought much yet. With the electrician coming, buying anything else has been on hold since we already have huge crib and changing table boxes taking up space; not to mention the glider and ottoman in the middle of my living room since there isn’t anywhere else to put it.

This baby girl is active…all day long. I love feeling her little kicks and punches, but sometimes I feel like she is going to burst out of my stomach.

Since I can’t get her room ready, I’ve been knitting and sewing. My knitting skills are limited…but I’m pretty proud that I could make cute little baby hats. I’ve definitely picked up the knitting bug and am trying to teach myself how to knit all sorts of crazy patterns.

This is one of the hats I made…my first project using double pointed needles. I’m finishing up the last few row using the same hat pattern but in pink. Not sure what my next knitting project will be…surely something baby related!

More Bee Blocks

2011-07-14T16:30:00.000-04:00

I’ve had more energy lately….and I think I might be starting to nest. lol! I’ve been obsessed with cleaning, knitting little baby hats, and sewing for baby. Cooking and food shopping have not been high on my list of priorities but one’s husband can only starve for too long before going to the market, right?!

Since I’m not up for basting large quilts on the floor quite right now, I decided to get a jump on July’s bee block. This block is for Susan in the Scrap Bee. Susan requested a “square in a square” block using aqua, orange, and green.

Fabric for Susan’s block came from the scrap basket, except the orange. I picked some up recently because I have very little orange in the stash. Using orange scares me….I love the orange tulip print above, but when it comes to using orange I hesitate to put it into a quilt.

Am I the only one with an orange (or other color) phobia?

My block for the Scrap Bee was May. My plan was to make a few extra blocks for my quilt so it would be a little larger for the baby.

I’ve made two blocks so far using scraps from other projects.

My favorite print is that zebra one. Isn’t it fantastic! It came in a scrap pack I bought online so I only have a small piece.

The first block seemed really time consuming to make….these blocks go really smoothly if you have your scraps cut into strips and pressed. The second block went a lot quicker once I organized my scraps. Not sure how many more I’ll end up making, but if your scrap bin is overflowing I highly recommend these blocks using this tutorial.

Summer Sewing

2011-07-01T16:00:00.000-04:00

I’m so happy to be able to show this Frenchy Bag (pattern by Amy Butler) on the blog because it’s finally finished. I bought the fabric for this bag back in December and it’s been sitting in my “WIP” pile for what feels like forever.

Here she is!

Fabric is Modern Meadow by Joel Dewberry. This fabric line is awesome! I might’ve picked up enough of it to make another bag….

This is a long over due gift for my brother’s girlfriend. I hope she likes it!

Other things I’m working on….

I received this little bundle of fabric at the PMQG June Meeting. Jay McCarroll was our guest speaker and brought lots of goodies to show us. You can check out a full recap over on Andrew’s blog.

Jay launched the Modern Quilt Guild’s Habitat Challenge at our meeting. Each guild member was given a fabric pack to make an original block to submit for Jay to pick a winner. I brainstormed for a bit and came up with something I like. All of the blocks made will eventually go into charity quilts to send to Japan.

Sewing for Baby….

2011-06-24T18:14:00.001-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I went for an anatomy ultrasound. I was on the fence the whole pregnancy about looking vs. not looking. I wanted the baby’s gender to be a surprise, while Hubby wanted to know what we were having.

Well, we looked! We were so shocked to find out that we are going to have a little girl! I was so sure it was a boy, I even bought fabric for a little boy quilt. I have to say there is something really special about knowing that I’m carrying a little girl, as opposed to a baby. It makes the bond that much stronger…just my opinion (from someone who didn’t want to find out, so no hating please!).

Sewing for a baby girl has been so much fun already! Awhile ago I picked up Handmade Beginnings by Anna Maria Horner. There were so many projects in it I wanted to make, but never had the time nor motivation until recently.

The first project I picked was the quick change trousers. They are so cute! I made the smallest size (0-3 months) and plan on making bigger sizes after the baby arrives. The pattern provides sizes for up to 24 months. The only con, if you can even call it a con, is that you have to copy each pattern piece since there are multiple pattern pieces printed on top of each other on one page.

The pattern itself was really easy and the pants are completely reversible! The only trouble I had was sewing the hem on the legs, because of the teeny tiny opening. This was done relatively easily by just sewing a little slower than normal.

I’ve made one pair so far and have 2 more in the works….including a pair in this cute Parisville shell fabric. I might have to snag some more of this fabric before it’s hard to find!

Next, I’m going to try the pretty as a picture dress from Handmade Beginnings in this Amy Butler fabric. I think it’s going to be adorable!

June Bee Block

2011-06-21T16:35:00.000-04:00

Happy Summer Solstice!!!

I can’t believe it’s officially summer…we’ve had hot & humid weather for the past few weeks. I’m sure it’s a sign of what we’re in for the rest of the summer.

June is Jenniffier’s month for the Scrap Bee on Flickr. She requested blocks using this modified bento box tutorial in aqua and tangerine. I used my Central Park scraps (the only orange in my stash!) & a little Bliss fabric. Block size ~ 16 inches.

I can’t wait to see Jenniffier’s quilt all put together. It’s the perfect summer quilt!

Also, I’ve received the majority of my spiderweb blocks for May in the Scrap Bee. Sneak peek of the progress on that coming soon!

PMQG Kona Charm Pack Challenge

2011-06-09T16:30:00.000-04:00

For the Philly Modern Quilt Guild’s May meeting, we were issued a challenge. Take one charm pack of Robert Kaufman Kona solids (the Brights variety) and make something adding only prints.

I knew right away what the perfect project was for this – Off The Rail by Jaybirdqults. I even happened to have some of my fav fabric “It’s a Hoot” from Miss Julie herself all cut and ready to go.

Julie’s pattern uses partial seams ::::gasp!::::: Super scary, right?! Wrong! Easy as pie, really!!!

These blocks went together super quick and before I knew it, I had a quilt top.

For the back, I ran to JoAnn’s and picked up some Kona cotton in Coal(?) and pieced in my left over charm squares (plus a few extra) to make a pretty rainbow. I LOVE the back.

I went back and forth debating how to quilt it. In the end, I went with straight line quilting vertically. I really like the way the back looks with the vertical lines.

And scrappy binding made from left over jellyroll strips from another It’s a Hoot quilt.

It’s a decent sized quilt….approximately 54x54”. It will be living with me and is the first of many quilts I’ll be making for our new baby …coming October 2011. Officially halfway there and so excited!

Wednesday Work in Progress

2011-06-01T13:21:00.001-04:00

I love this quilt…I seriously can’t stop staring at it. Isn’t she gorgeous?

The pattern is Jaybirdquilt’s Quarter Log Cabin as published on the Fon's and Porter website. The blocks came together super easy. I loved Julie’s original version of the quilt (especially after seeing it in person) that I knew I had to make it. It took a little work to track down the Martinique (Moda) fabric but it was totally worth it. This quilt is currently waiting for the rows to be sewn together and then it’s on to the borders.

Do you like my design floor? I never know where to lay out my quilts, especially for basting. Usually I’m dealing with 2 dogs and 2 cats. I’ve even tried laying out quilts on my design…..grass??? (on a very windy day when the lawn was overdue for mowing!).

Jaybirdquilt’s Off the Rail pattern in It’s a Hoot by Momo for Moda. Quilt is done and should be posted very shortly!

And no I would not baste a quilt on the grass…I’m not that silly!

Playing Catch-Up

2011-04-27T12:35:00.000-04:00

So I guess it’s not surprising my bee block for March was late too…after the whole Doll Quilt swap debacle. I really have done zero sewing over the past few months…up until recently that is.

For March, Kristy asked for wonky stars. I have such a tough time with all things wonky, but I gave it my best shot. I used Just Wing It by Momo and I think I like it.

Sarah’s bee block for the Scrap Bee for April. Sarah asked for string blocks….pretty easy, except I made the wrong size. Thankfully bigger so I trimmed it down and off it went. I dug into my scrap basket for this one (some Momo, Amy Butler, and Tula Pink among others).

I’ve really enjoyed the bee so far. I’ve made 4 blocks that I’ve never made before….I definitely like making string blocks and am going to add a string quilt to my to do list.

May is my month in the bee! I’m pretty sure I’m going to ask for spiderweb blocks. Can’t wait!

DQS Complete

2011-04-21T19:19:00.001-04:00

Round 10 of the Doll Quilt Swap on flickr is winding down. Here is the quilt I sent to my partner. It was sent a week late, but she should receive it any day now if she hasn’t already. I was able to finish it thanks to the latest Philly Modern Quilt Guild sewing day. It was just the motivation I needed to get it together.

Quilt made using Central Park by Kate Spain for Moda.

Pieced quilt back.

Close up of the quilt detail.

I received a beautiful quilt from Leah. She made me a string quilt in my favorite color!

Isn’t it gorgeous?!?

Leah added cute pink buttons.

And she sent me a really fantastic package. Everything was wrapped so beautifully! Thanks Leah!

WIP Wednesday

2011-03-23T16:30:00.000-04:00

I finally made some progress on my doll quilt for DQS 10. I really wanted to try something out of my comfort zone for the swap so I chose applique.

I cut the tree shape ~~a few weeks ago~~ using my Cricut and finished cutting the leaves this weekend. The Cricut worked well for cutting through the fabric…any issues I had were purely due to operator error!

I have lots of leaves left over so I’m debating adding more. What do you think?

For right now I’m going to leave it as is, and add the borders – green patchwork along the bottom and blue patchwork around the sides and top. I plan on mostly using Central Park by Kate Spain for Moda but might supplement in some additional fabric as I go.

Central Park Charming Stars

2011-02-22T16:35:00.000-05:00

I love this quilt! I love the fabric….I love the stars….I love the size…..and the straight line quilting. I just love it! What I don’t love are these pictures…..too cold and windy outside for outdoor pictures.

I tried out the embroidery functions on my machine a little more. Very convenient for labels….and of all the quilts I’ve made this is the first one with a label (bad Tricia!).

The date is significant…it marks my mom’s 50th birthday. Happy 50th Mom! Sorry it took a few weeks extra to get the binding on this.

Quilt pattern: Charming Stars from the Moda Bake Shop

Pieced and Quilted by me.

Fabric: Central Park by Kate Spain for Moda (LOVE!)

Size: 68” square

Started on January 12th and finished on February 20th

Trying New Things

2011-02-16T12:35:00.000-05:00

This month our guild challenge was to make a mug rug for a swap while trying a new technique.

My plan was to try applique…at the last minute. I had the design in my head for days, so it was just a matter of execution really. As it turns out, I have no idea how to do applique, so I winged it!

Luckily I have the best husband who let me make my rug on Valentine’s day….while he made me a fancy dinner of steak and lobster. It was delicious! After dinner, we cleaned up and I sewed a little more. Couldn’t ask for a better Valentine’s day (except I could have done without the cat knocking an entire vase of water onto the floor at 9pm!).

Here it is…..I kinda really like it. Any guesses to what the animal is?

Other new things I tried on the mug rug…decorative stitches on my machine. There are soo many and I’ve never used them. Also, I tried expanding my free motion quilting to include swirls. That did not go so well, but it’s something I’d like to try again.

Thank you Angie for inspiring us to try something new!

And here’s my new mug rug I received in the swap from Cindy! Thanks, I love it!

February Bee Blocks

2011-02-14T16:35:00.000-05:00

It’s been a little quiet over here, huh? Don’t worry! I’ve been so busy…working on secret projects (which will be revealed very soon). I haven’t even been able to keep up with my Sunday stash reports because I’m having trouble keeping track of my fabric out. Crazy, I know!

Last night I managed to whip out this bee block for the Scrap Bee on Flickr. It’s Jennifer’s month and she requested a square in a square block. I had a slight math error at the end…but managed to work it out and come up with a 12.5x12.5” square.

Tonight’s goal….mug rug for the Philly Modern Quilt guild swap.

More clutches

2011-02-03T12:30:00.000-05:00

Two more clutches made using Noodlehead’s gathered clutch tutorial. No straps added to either of these…because I sort of forgot and realized it once they were sewn together. The brown one is for my mom and the red one is for a friend. The red one is exactly the same as the first one I made…I just really liked the color combination.

Fabrics are Bliss by Bonnie and Camille for Moda. I even shortened the zipper on the red one…it may sound silly but my experience with zippers is so limited. Shortening the zipper was super easy!

I think this might be the last time I use this tutorial though. I might refer to it time to time for construction tips but I think I might make a patchwork clutch or something “non-gathered”. I’m still confused about the zipper tabs and what exactly I’m supposed to do with them when sewing around the clutch in the final step, but I think I managed to fudge it properly.

WIP Wednesday

2011-02-02T21:47:00.001-05:00

I had a record sewing weekend {for me}, but on Monday I just felt blah. A complete lack of motivation for sewing, blogging, and all things crafty at the worst time possible…my mom’s birthday gift sat unfinished.

I finished her quilt top last week and ordered backing one day too late to receive it in time to finish her quilt over this past weekend…so I finished another {secret} quilt instead and burned myself out. Unfortunately, this is a very special birthday for my mom so I feel a little guilty. I’ll finish it this weekend, but I’m a little disappointed in my complete lack of energy. I think she’ll like it…when I saw the Central Park fabric, I knew I had to make a quilt for her with it.

Pattern is Charming Stars via Moda Bake Shop.

Other things in progress:

2 gathered clutches ala Noodlehead for mom’s birthday and one for a friend.
Another Amy Butler Frenchy Bag
It’s A Hoot patchwork quilt

Knitting…

2011-01-24T16:30:00.000-05:00

A few weekends ago, I spent Saturday afternoon with my mother-in-law, while Hubby was out with father-in-law at a sporting event. MIL brought along some crocheting and we spent the day on the couch watching my favorite movie ever (Zombieland), her crocheting and me knitting. I mostly taught myself to knit from a book I picked up at Joann’s a few years ago.

Well, I’ve caught the knitting bug again. I’d never actually finished anything until now.

Scarf made from some random purple yarn I thought would look really cool knitting with huge needles…I was right :)

My first scarf is done…and I’ve started on a second. I even found a pattern online that involves slightly more than just the single knit stitch….it looks awesome! I unfortunately caught the flu last week so knitting kept me busy while I was recovering on the couch.

Sunday Stash

2011-01-23T22:40:00.001-05:00

Week 4 of 2011 and I’m only getting around to my first Sunday Stash post. I’m expecting my stash reports to be pretty boring with the fabric diet, but we’ll see.

Recent additions to the stash are 8 yards of Tula Pink Parisville.

And a fat eighth bundle (5 yards) of Central Park by Kate Spain (which I’ve already cut up).

Fabric out this week: 1 yard Robert Kauffman Kona cotton in white and 2.5 yards of Central Park by Kate Spain for a quilt top using a Moda Bake Shop tutorial ~ more on that later. One block down (above) – 15 to go.

Fabric Used this YTD: 3.5 yards

Fabric Added YTD: 13 yards

You can check out how everyone else is doing here.

DQS10

2011-01-20T16:30:00.000-05:00

Dear Partner,

I was so excited to sign up for the swap that I rushed through the entry form and don’t really remember what info I left for you. Hopefully, this will make it easier for you!

I love cheery colors…pink is by far my favorite color. You know, that bright pink? I heart it! I love traditional designs in modern fabrics…and hand quilting…LOVE it!

I really only have 2 dislikes…batiks and wonky design. I was not a fan of the wonky log cabin quilt along on flickr. I tried so hard to participate but I couldn’t bring myself to make those cuts!

Hopefully my mosaic helps your creative process and really, no matter what you make for me I’m sure I’ll love it. Just have fun!

1. wedding quilt for my cousin, 2. Kate Spain Booth - Fall Market 2010, 3. DQS9 on my wall, 4. DQS9 - Quilted, 5. Finally!!, 6. Finished Doll Quilt Swap 9, 7. Block 2 - For Monika (monaw2008), 8. Hexagon top, 9. California Bound, 10. City Green Front, 11. Short Story Top, 12. Finished_Subway_1, 13. Scrappy in Progress, 14. dqs9-received, 15. DQS9, 16. Bliss top complete

New Year, New Bee & A Blog makeover

2011-01-19T16:30:00.000-05:00

I really need a blog makeover but I haven’t figured out how to do it yet. I used to be pretty tech savvy in college (oh the things I used to do)…but I haven’t had the time to devote to teaching myself anything new lately. If you have any tips, let me know. For now, I’ll keep using the blogger templates.

My first bee ever started this month - Scrap-bee Blocks {on flickr of course}. It’s a stash busting bee – because each month we make a block using our own fabric and send it to the Queen/King Bee. It’s Dustin’s month and he requested donkey blocks. At first, I was a little scared of the tiny 1” finished blocks, but once I started putting it together it wasn’t soo bad. I consolidated some of the blocks so there would be less piecing. I’m really happy with how it came out. I wish I would have made it a little more fun, like some of the others in the group but oh well. It’s done now!

**Oh and BIG NEWS**

I’m so excited! I got into Doll Quilt Swap 10!!! SO EXCITED! Participants were drawn by lottery so I was waiting and crossing my fingers, followed by more waiting, and received an email this weekend telling me I was in. I can’t wait to get started!

Hello 2011!

2011-01-03T16:30:00.000-05:00

This year I vowed to stay home to ring in the new year….but instead I hung out with family, drank some wine, ate lots of pizza, and only had to walk 2 blocks home. It was a perfect night!

While I’m sad to see 2010 go; I’m welcoming 2011 with open arms. I can’t wait to see what’s on the road ahead. Like everyone else, I’m making some resolutions…the biggest of which is a {fabric} diet. So for at least the first six months in 2011, I’m working from stash {insert GASP here}. I don’t think it will be difficult unless something absolutely amazing is released but even then, I’ll be ok. There are exceptions to this diet…like backing, binding, and batting. Of course, I’ll work from stash where possible but I don’t have a whole lot (or any) 5 yard pieces of fabric laying around for a quilt back. Two other tiny exceptions…things already on their way to me….some must have Central Park by Kate Spain and Parisville by Tula Pink ~ both ordered before Jan 1st so I’m good!

Why am I doing this? Because I have a feeling I don’t even know what I have. There’s a whole mess of fabric in my studio and every time I go grab something….I think “oh wow, I forgot I had that!”. Another reason - $$$. I bought a brand new 2011 SUV at the end of 2010….car payments are going to suck.

My other goal for 2011 is to give back a little more. I only made one charity quilt during 2010…I want to at least double my goal and make 2 (and hopefully more) for this year’s Stitch N Pitch with the Phillies.

And because I didn’t want to leave you all with a photo-less post, here are some of the things I made during 2010.

Goodbye 2010 (and a quilty finish)

2010-12-31T19:24:00.001-05:00

What a year! I think I quadrupled the amount of quilts I made this year. I learned how to free motion quilt and got an awesome new machine. I’m sad to say goodbye, but I can’t help but feel like 2011 is going to be A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

I didn’t do so well updating the blog and my stash is WAY out of control. 2011 is gonna see some changes coming, but we’ll save that for the new year.

I’m so excited I can finally post pictures of this quilt. I feel like I’ve been working on it forever and didn’t want to ruin the surprise for the recipient!

I started this quilt sometime in August…I think…for a Christmas gift for my mother in law. Fabric is Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Fig Tree for Moda and Moda Bella solids. It’s constructed entirely of half square triangles and is a 64 inch-ish square. I saw the arrangement of half square triangles online…somewhere… and really loved it. I love half square triangles but I think I’ll be taking a small break from them for just a bit :).

Backing is Kona solids and a few blocks that didn’t work out so well in the front. This was the only quilt I made as a Christmas gift this year and the timing worked out perfectly. It was pieced, quilted, and washed with out any stressing over getting it done on time. As for my mother in law….I think she liked it :)

I also made a gathered clutch ala Noodlehead. It was my first time using the tutorial and I LOVED it. I had to re-read one step a couple of times….but eventually it made perfect sense.

Fabric is Bliss by Bonnie and Camille for Moda (Love this line!). I made it for my god daughter for Christmas after going into every store in the mall searching for a wristlet. Nothing was age appropriate (she’s 11 and all the wristlets said let’s go clubbin’!) so I made my own. She loves it and so does her mom; so I’ll be making another one this weekend.

Pretty Patchwork

2010-12-06T16:30:00.000-05:00

I started this during the Philly Modern Quilt Guild's November Sewing night at the Little Shop in Haddonfield. This pattern is from the book Jellyroll Quilts. It’s coming together pretty quickly and is actually alot of fun to make.

The pattern comes with 2 size options. The larger size quilt (the one I’m making) uses 1.5 jellyrolls. There is also a smaller size which uses less than 1 jellyroll. The fabric is It’s a Hoot by Momo (LOVE it!) for Moda. The blocks are almost done.

I did have one dilemma before the project even began. I was planning on using white as my background fabric and thankfully Julie suggested maybe white was not the best idea. I normally use white in everything and am starting to learn it doesn’t go with everything. Since we were sewing in a fabric shop the problem was quickly resolved when I found a nice dark brown solid to use instead. It gives the quilt a totally different look and I’m loving it.

I finally did find a use for some of the white Kona cotton I’ve been hoarding….more on that later!

Just in time for fall…errrrr

2010-12-03T16:00:00.000-05:00

When I first saw the Poppy line by Laura Gunn I knew I had to buy it to make an Amy Butler birdie sling with it…unfortunately that was months ago. I was hoping to finish it in time for the fall, but honestly as I started cutting the fabric and miles of interfacing I just lost interest. Then all of a sudden, it was fall (now winterish)! I pulled the pattern and fabric back out of my stash and was determined to finish that darn bag…a little cutting here and there and I was finally finished.

Construction of the actual bag was pretty simple…but some how I screwed it up. I sewed the gussets in the wrong direction so my bag is more box shaped at the bottom. I was mildly distracted while sewing with Julie and Candi (but this is in no way blame!!) and didn’t really realize it until Candi very gently pointed out my error….We all had a good laugh and I finished the bag, errors included since I had already cut the fabric at that point.

I seriously have to say the cutting took me longer than sewing the actual bag. I’m so sure, next time I’m going to time myself!

Oh, and here’s the fabric for the next birdie sling since I’m so determined to construct this bag correctly.

Welcome, December…

2010-12-01T20:54:00.001-05:00

Where did November go?

Been crazy busy here…sewing a ton and doing some renovations on the house. Since my last post….sooo long ago….I finished this quilt.

Project time: Hmmm… mid July 2010 – Nov 20, 2010.

Pieced and quilted by me.

Fabric (including backing and binding) is Frolic by Sandy Gervais for Moda. White solid is Robert Kaufman kona.

I had started this quilt with a recipient in mind but then realized how wonderful it would look on the bed in my guest room. (Don’t worry, the intended recipient will receive an equally awesome quilt….someday!) This quilt is currently on the guest bed….and I may or may not have slept under it last night because someone was snoring…..shhhh!

Part of my lack of posting is the state of my house. We tore our living room and dining room apart during November, pulled up the old carpet….a layer of tile and ply wood, sanded the floors, and stained them. We had lots of help from family but it was exhausting. The floors are {finally} done and look great.

Isn’t it pretty?!

Next up: an apron pattern review, finishing the blocks from my latest jelly roll quilt, and my solids challenge for the Philly Modern Quilt Guild.

Progress…

2010-11-08T16:30:00.000-05:00

Finished the blocks for this quilt….now if only I had a design wall!

Blogger’s Quilt Festival

2010-11-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

Better late than never! My entry for the Blogger’s Quilt Festival is my Charisma four patch quilt…basically lots of four patches sewn together on point.

This was my first time stippling a full sized quilt! The tiny blocks led me to do tiny stipples no matter how hard I tried to make bigger stipples. I still love how it turned out and am so glad I took the plunge into free motion quilting.

This was also the first quilt I got to keep! I made so many baby quilts over the past year and a half and even gave away my first full sized quilt to my parents for Christmas last year. This one’s for me!

Now that the weather is getting colder I’ve actually had a chance to use it. This pink backing makes me smile every time I use it!

Thanks for visiting! Go check out all the other entries over at Amy’s Creative Side!

Potholder Pass 5

2010-11-02T16:30:00.000-04:00

I joined in for a second round of Potholder Pass over on Flickr. This round’s theme was Holiday. My partner left it pretty open about what she wanted so I struggled a tiny bit. I tried a few things that didn’t work (for me) and finally settled on playing with some very small half square triangles.

I used a variety of holiday themed fabric – including some Robert Kaufman and 12 Days of Christmas by Moda. I still have tons of it left, including this cute cupcake print!

My creative juices weren’t flowing so I had a hard time coming up with an ornament (especially after receiving my ornaments and potholders!). I found this cute tutorial online and made my first ever ornament.

Isn’t he cute?

Hope you like them partner!

…is this thing on??

2010-10-21T16:45:00.000-04:00

Well hello blog! I’ve missed you!

Sorry for the longer than planned hiatus!

Things I’ve been doing while I was gone:

working on secret projects….nothing super secret but Christmas is around the corner.
not following clear as day directions while constructing my AB Birdie sling (post to come soon!).
making Itty Bitty Poochie bags (ala Moda Bake Shop) for a PMQG meeting I never made it to (DARN YOU TRAFFIC!!!).

working on another set of potholders for Potholder Pass 5– the holiday edition on Flickr. I received my potholders/ornaments already and they are seriously awesome! Thank you Mandy!
procrastinating from basting a quilt top or two…mainly due to lack of floor space.

Double Hour Glass Quilt

2010-09-24T18:54:00.001-04:00

Oh wow….I love (LOVE) this quilt! It’s my favorite…for so many reasons.

First, just look at the awesome-ness that is Wonderland….it’s my absolute favorite fabric!

This jelly roll has been in my stash for a year and a half…actually it’s the first “designer” fabric I ever purchased when I started quilting a year ago and it’s still my favorite.

Backing and binding is also Wonderland….both purchased from Etsy. I quilted with a larger stippling pattern to make the quilt feel softer and I’m so glad I did, because it’s incredibly cozy. This is the third quilt I’ve stippled…and I have to say it’s so much quicker than straight line quilting.

My favorite part of the quilt…well, besides my love of Wonderland…the cute green/brown dot binding. I really like how it frames the quilt…and it’s just so adorable.

Ok enough gushing about this quilt…time to go cuddle under it!

Project time: May 7th - September 22th

Size: 56” x 64”

Fabric: Wonderland by Momo for Moda

And I’m sure you’ve figured out, this quilt will be living with me!

I’m thinking about posting a mini tutorial on how I made this super easy quilt. We’ll see!

Sunday Stash

2010-09-19T20:08:00.001-04:00

A little retail therapy...after a bit of a stressful week.

A half yard bundle of Pop Garden (yum!) by Heather Bailey and some Tufted Tweets (5.5 yds total)

Taken with my iPhone...so please excuse the poor quality!

Tomorrow I'll be receiving another 5 yards of (Frolic) backing for my Circle Around quilt :)

Lots in, lots out, but I'll save that for next time!

Ready, Set, Swap

2010-09-15T12:15:00.000-04:00

And they’re off!

This weekend I finished up the hexie potholders for Potholder Pass 4 on flickr. My partner left it pretty open so I combined her color preferences with 2 things I never worked with before: linen and hexagons.

I enjoyed sitting on the couch, watching Season 1 of Pushing Daisies on netflix and hand stitching the hexagon flowers together. At first the process was slow, but after the first one was assembled it started going much faster. Then I hand stitched the hexies onto the linen following Part 3 of Julie’s hexagon tutorial. Sandwiched with a few layers of insul-bright, a little straight line quilting, and I was finished. Backing/binding was left over from the Bliss (by Bonnie and Camille for Moda) fat quarters.

They turned out pretty big….close to 10x10. Next time I’d make them slightly smaller. I’ve got a Bliss hexagon flower left over so you know I’ll be making one for myself…someday ;)

Now, here’s hoping they arrive safely and that my partner likes them!

Pure Challenge

2010-09-09T07:00:00.000-04:00

I finished my Project Pure quilt for the September meeting of the Philly Modern Quilt guild. Project requirements were 1 charm pack of Pure and 1/2 yard of any coordinating fabric…backing and binding were up to us.

From the beginning I envisioned creating an quilt with “on point” quarter square triangles. Here' is what I came up with….

Close up of the stippling and backing (Authentic by Sweetwater for Moda)

Quilt top close up (stippling over the seams was difficult!)

Project Time: August 8 – September 4

Fabric: Charm pack of Pure (by Sweetwater for Moda), 1/2 yard Kona white, and backing noted above.

Completed Size: Approx 28” square

For: Me! I plan on hanging it in my sewing room.

Hexie Love

2010-09-08T12:15:00.000-04:00

I’ve been bitten by the hexie bug…I blame blog land, the Philadelphia Modern Quilt Guild, Candi, and Julie for posting an awesome tutorial for paper piecing hexagons.

I especially love the hexies in Bliss (who wouldn’t??)…which are perfect for my partner in the Potholder Pass 4 swap on Flickr. I’m thinking of putting them on linen and hand stitching around the outside of each hexagon…I have a feeling these are going to be hard to part with. Might as well make a set of 2!

I love hand sewing….it makes me feel less isolated from my family since my “studio” is in the attic, plus it’s portable for long car rides or even to take to the Phillies games. I’m hooked. End. Of. Story. Except, I think I’m too ADD to try and make an entire quilt out of hexagons.

So many projects…

2010-08-17T12:30:00.000-04:00

So little time!

I’ve got so many things in progress, it’s hard to focus! The beginnings of a Birdie bag that I just can’t bring myself to cut out all of the darn pieces (stupid interfacing!), two quilts tops needing basting, quilting, and binding, a wedding quilt for a friend, and Siggy blocks from the Modern Siggy Swap 2.

Two weekends ago I got together with friends and spent the afternoon cutting up my pure charm pack and piecing my blocks for Project Pure. Hoping to piece the top this week!

A sneak peak at my blocks….

This past weekend I was on vacation at the beach and as much as I wanted to pack my sewing machine, there just wasn’t room in the car with 2 dogs, a dog crate, an assortment of linens and clothing. A quick trip to JoAnn’s and I had a few templates for hand sewing hexagons instead. I brought a fat quarter bundle of Bliss and got to work. Unfortunately I ran out of templates faster than I would’ve liked and those plastic templates are expensive. Time to switch to paper piecing I think!

Stitch & Pitch with PMQG

2010-08-12T16:30:00.000-04:00

Tuesday was a Philadelphia Modern Quilt Guild event – Stitch & Pitch with the Phillies. Picture this…a sell out crowd at Citizen’s Bank Park with a 1,000 or so women (& men) knitting, crocheting, or in our case quilting! It was awesome, but hot…so hot and humid. Everyone with a Stitch & Pitch ticket got a cute Phillie phanatic bobble head.

Who knew the phanatic could knit? Yet another reason to love him!

It was a pretty horrendous game with lots of fielding errors and not so good pitching, but we still had fun. Trust me!

The Philadelphia Chapter of Project Linus was collecting blankets. I donated a baby quilt…and completely forgot to take a picture of it. It is exactly the same pattern as this Happy Campers quilt though (fabric & all)…the only difference is it was stippled.

Julie posted a full recap over here, so go check it out!

Surprise Package!

2010-07-29T08:00:00.000-04:00

So about a year ago I signed up for a pay it forward gift from Angela @ Moda Home Mom. I completely forgot about it. I was having a particularly crappy week (sick car, work stress, the usual) so coming home to a nice and completely unexpected package from Angela made my day. First, I had to explain to Hubby that no I didn’t order more fabric…but in the back of my mind I’m going…oh crap, what did I order now?

Check out the goodies sent to me by Angela. Love them!

Cute little bag with my initial.

Set of notebooks, a little zipper pouch, and some swedishfish that may or may not have disappeared…

Thank you Angela!!!!

So on account of all the good things that have come my way lately through the blog world, I want to give some back….. So stay tuned for a giveaway in the near future!

Crazy about Circles

2010-07-26T12:30:00.000-04:00

So I started the Cherish Nature quilt with a solid, that may or may not be Kona solid, and ran out. I thought I had 5 yards…but it was definitely a different color Kona…so I’m forced to put it aside until I figure out what the heck fabric it was.

So I took that 5 yards of Kona and cut it up for my Circle Around quilt - designed by Julie. I used the easy circle ruler and in my opinion…not so easy….at first. I think it was a combination of being hot (sewing/ironing without air conditioning in my 90F dining room) and irritated from above noted mistake. I managed to completely screw up 1 circle…that turned out to be 2 half circles (duh!) and cut 5 or so the wrong size…I’ll use those on the back. I used my Frolic layer cake from Amy’s Creative Side SMS giveaway. It’s so bright and cheery!! As for the pattern itself, super easy and super fun. The blocks come together so quickly, once all of the cutting is out of the way.

It’s so big, I couldn’t get it all in one picture! Like I said, super easy and quick…all I have left is to sew my rows together and quilt!

Fabric Out, Fabric In

2010-07-15T07:00:00.000-04:00

It’s been rather quiet on the blog lately. Work has been crazy and I started class again, but this weekend I sat down in front of my Baby(lock) and finished piecing my Wonderland quilt top.

Sneak peak of the folded wonderland top.

I <3 it! I even ordered my backing fabric from Sweet Pea Fabrics on Etsy (which arrived superfast!), but I’ll probably end up piecing my backing for something different.

Right after finishing my Wonderland top, I cut into my stash of Cherish Nature by Deb Strain for Moda.

Cherish Nature and 3 random prints from other lines.

I love this line…and from the moment I saw it, it reminded me of my high school best friend who now lives across the country. She was recently married so this will make a nice gift.

A few of the blocks I have pieced…only 65 or so more to go!

It’s a very simple design and I’m even incorporating other fabric lines into the quilt. I’m planning for the quilt to measure 64” x 72”…for a total of 72 blocks.

Lots of fabric in lately including a fat quarter bundle of Bliss and a fat eighth bundle of Breakfast at Tiffany’s (Thanks Julie!).

I have no plans for Bliss yet (any suggestions)…but the Breakfast at Tiffany’s will most likely become many (many) half square triangles.

PMQG Potholder Swap

2010-07-14T12:00:00.000-04:00

Two weeks ago was the monthly meeting of the Philly Modern Quilt Guild…I’m only slightly behind here. Allison hosted our get together. Unfortunately, it was really humid with a threat of storms so we all crammed in Allison’s husband’s man cave (Thanks Allison’s husband!!). Our activity this month was a blind potholder swap. Mine were simple patchwork using Essence by Sandy Gervais for Moda. They turned out super traditional looking but I was happy with how the quilting and binding came out.

Candi was the recipient of my potholders and these are the ones I went home with:

Sorry for the terrible picture…these were taken in my kitchen because I’ve already started using them. Love them!

My favorite though…for obvious reasons were Julie’s! Go check them out :)

Modern Siggy Swap – Round 2

2010-06-28T16:00:00.001-04:00

I couldn’t do it… I couldn’t hack up this piece of loveliness, Tufted Tweets. Instead I used a little of this and a little of that to make my siggy blocks.

Is it normal that I measured each individual block? No, really? I kept moving my needle over to get my 1/4” seam allowance perfect but each time I moved my needle I still came out with the same size blocks. What?!?
I’m really loving these blocks. They are so easy to make! Check out all the other combinations of modern quilters in the Flickr group!

Edited to add: Info on Siggy Swap can be found here.

Hunky Hexagons

2010-06-18T16:00:00.000-04:00

This marks another project complete…with only one WIP!!

Many thanks to Julie for inspiration and of course leading the quilt along. I’m so happy with how this turned out.

Project time: April 20th – June 15th

Fabric: Made with 1 jelly roll, a few charm squares and yardage (for backing/binding) of Hunky Dory by Chez Moi for Moda. I pieced a few charm squares in the backing which I love.

This was made for and given today to a coworker undergoing treatment for cancer. She didn’t believe I made it though…guess she didn’t see my signature on the back yet!

Sunday Stash

2010-06-06T21:38:00.001-04:00

This week I received lots of goodies in the mail!

I ordered some more Make Life from Fabritopia. 2 charm packs and some silly writing that I had to have….a Make Life quilt is in my very near future. Also, the charm pack I won from Tula Pink….I love it!

I won 2 Sew Mama Sew Giveaways….TWO! So this week I received a roll up and yard of Tufted Tweets from Robert Kaufman, hosted by Julie of Jaybirdquilts. The fabric is for the modern siggy swap lead by Julie….but I don’t think I can cut the Tufted Tweets fabric up so small. Oh dilemmas! I also won a layer cake of Frolic from Amy at Amy’s Creative Side. I’ve got big plans for it so stay tuned! Finals are Tuesday so I don’t anticipate much sewing in the mean time…the only good thing about finals is the 2 week break I get before summer classes start! Wooo-hoooo!

My first quilt…

2010-06-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

Charisma quilt made with a Charisma jelly roll by Chez Moi and some Kona solid and binding and backing with Boutique by Chez Moi. Pattern from Jelly Roll Inspirations.

Project time: April 1, 2010 to May 31, 2010

For me! So obviously this isn’t my first quilt, but it’s the first quilt I get to keep. I loved sitting under it on the back deck hand sewing the binding. Binding is definitely my favorite part of the process…at least for right now!

Aren’t my hubby’s feet peeking out the cutest?

WIP Wednesday

2010-06-02T07:30:00.000-04:00

I love this quilt. I’m starting to feel that way about all of my quilts though. It must be the delicious fabric I’m using! I’m hoping to finish the quilting on this one tonight. I decided on straight line quilting for this to make the quilt as soft and cuddly as possible. I’m quilting on the inside of the outer hexagon and the inner hexagon (you can see this in the picture above).

Did I mention I love this?!

Blogger’s Quilt Festival

2010-05-28T16:47:00.001-04:00

Amy over at Amy’s Creative Side is hosting the third Blogger’s Quilt Festival. Over 650 people have entered their quilts this week. There are so many amazing and talented people in blogland.

Here is my very last minute entry:

This was a quilt for a coworker expecting her first baby, a son, in March. It was made during round 5 of the Old Red Barn Co quilt along on flickr led by Dana. It was my first experience with pinwheels and I loved it. The quilt was made with an animal alphabet charm pack and white solid. The backing was my favorite part of the quilt!

All quilted, bound and washed just prior to running out the door to the shower!

Thanks for visiting!

Wonderland

2010-05-28T07:30:00.000-04:00

Check out these double hour glass blocks!

This quilt is going to be my favorite ever…I just know it. My original intentions were to make another hexagon quilt by sewing a white strip to each jelly roll strip. Instead, I cut my strips using a half square triangle ruler and came up with this - each strip set yielded 2 blocks. Fun!

So why did I finally use my coveted wonderland jelly roll!? Because I found something even better, a wonderland layer cake online, which btw they have plenty of jelly rolls and honey buns of wonderland in stock! So excited to add this to my stash, but what’s a stash if you aren’t going to use it?

I’m in love…

2010-05-26T11:00:00.000-04:00

with free motion quilting…stippling…whatever it’s called.

I had two quilts basted & ready for quilting, one I had no clue how I was going to quilt and another I was planning on doing straight line quilting. Normally I’d start the one in my comfort zone and knock the straight line quilting out, but one day last week I was feeling gutsy and just took the leap. I haven’t looked back since…except maybe when it was 11 o’clock at night and my eyes could no longer focus. It’s coming along nicely…so nice (in my humble opinion) that I’m thinking my hexagon quilt (slated for straight line quilting) is going to be stippled. The only thing I didn’t count on was the time commitment and massive amount of thread I’ve gone through!

Things I could make in my sleep....

2010-04-29T22:31:00.000-04:00

Another Amy Butler frenchy bag complete....this one is for my MIL.

Made from Sweetwater Make Life (Moda).

I think this is my fourth frenchy bag! Time to move on to the Amy Butler birdie bag....I received my Poppy fabric in the mail today too....sounds like I have a weekend project already lined up.

Stash Building...for others

2010-04-26T22:11:00.000-04:00

Saturday was the second meeting of the Philly Modern Quilt Guild. The theme for this month was Pillow Talk! Lots of awesome pillows including Julie's disappearing nine patch and Amanda's crazy nine patch. I unfortunately haven't made a pillow since eighth grade so I brought my charisma quilt (still not basted!). It was the first thing that I actually ever sewed in Home Ec. It started this craziness! I would have loved to bring it for show and tell in its purple floral and gold glory but I'm pretty sure its since been thrown out by mom. I do need some new throw pillows for our porch furniture...so who knows...there may be some pillows in my future!

After the meeting, I happened to mention to Julie that The Little Shop, my local go-to quilt shop, was only 5 minutes away. Julie was more than eager to add to her stash and accompanied me on an excursion. If Tula Pink is in a quilt shop, Julie is sure to find out! Candi was there shopping too picking out fabric for a birdie sling. I (for once) did not come home with ANY fabric. I know, right?!? I really, really wanted fabric for a birdie sling too after seeing 2 at the guild meeting but I was set on using Laura Gunn's Poppy...requiring a (very recent) online purchase.

I've made some progress with the hexagons. All my strips are paired up and I've figured out my pattern (classic hexes) and more than likely I'll be making a second hex quilt.

The more I make...the more I love!

This is by no means a layout I anticipate using...but I am realizing the importance of a design wall!

What's your....

2010-04-21T12:00:00.001-04:00

1. Favorite hobby?

2. Favorite tv show?

3. Favorite restaurant food?

4. Favorite thing to shop for?

5. Favorite animal?

6. Favorite song?

7. Favorite word?

8. Recent favorite youtube video?

9. Favorite movie?

10. Favorite childhood memory?

One of my favorite bloggers Ashley at Hot Butter was playing so I jumped in on the fun. You can play along too...check out everyone else doing it!

Surprising Stash Finds

2010-04-20T21:30:00.001-04:00

About a year ago I discovered designer fabrics and all things Moda. I haven't looked back since. For awhile I was an inexperienced shopper...not immediately recognizing fabric lines while in the Little Shop. It took time to memorize recognize the different designers and collections. During my transition period, as I like to call it, the Little Shop had a fat quarter and fat eighth sale. I had no clue what I was looking at or shoving into my shopping basket...I just knew it was a good deal by the crowds of women around me fighting their way through the store. Imagine my surprise when I found a fat eighth of Flea Market Fancy in my stash. Who knows what else I have hiding in there?! An amazing find...in my own house! Maybe it's time to dig into my stash and start using it!

Hexagons

2010-04-19T12:30:00.000-04:00

Friday April 9th was the second sewing night for the Philly Modern Quilt Guild. Since I had yet to finish piecing my Charisma top together, I figured that was the perfect project to take. By the time Friday night was over, I finally started sewing the rows together to complete the top. I am sooo in love with this quilt probably because it’s something for me!

Since I don’t have backing yet for the Charisma quilt, I moved right on to my next project, Julie’s Hexagon Quilt A Long, which I got a sneak peek at during the guild sewing night. I’m using Hunky Dory by Moda. The colors are very cheerful and springy but slightly muted so I’m worried about having good contrast in my blocks. For Christmas Hubby bought me an equilateral triangle template which I thought I would never have a use for until now! He was pretty excited (as excited as a husband can be about quilting) last night when he saw it on the floor and asked me if was actually going to use it. Of course, why else would it be on the floor? I cut the majority of my fabric on the floor. Is that terrible? I don’t have a cutting table and sometimes transporting the cutting mat, fabric, and rotary cutter to the dining room table (which I then have to clear off) just doesn’t seem worth it.

This is only half of the triangles I have cut so far. Can’t wait to sew together my hexagon blocks! After seeing a few different layouts, I think I’m going to go with just one block type (above). Hope you join in on the fun!

Difficult Decisions

2010-04-16T12:30:00.000-04:00

I’ve been in a funk lately. This week I have been faced with the realization that school is just too much for me right now. I’m not sure if I’m burn out per say…but I’m ready to be done. So ready…. I am struggling in one of my courses…after only the first week. I am recognizing the fact that it’s more difficult than I had anticipated and that I will actually have to work…make that very hard… to be successful in this course. Normally I push through classes and easily get A’s…. Only two classes away from my degree and I’m struggling. So what’s a girl to do but drop a class…and NOT graduate in June. So sad…and disappointed….I completely stressed over the decision of which class to drop…the easy A or the work really hard for a B (if I’m lucky) class. Stressed so much that I gave myself a migraine. I’m sticking it out in the hard class because I think it will be helpful in my career. So that’s my not happy news….and if I really want to torture myself I can take my last class this summer…on Thursday nights which is generally a traffic nightmare in the city.

With working full time and school this year, I’m thankful that I have a hobby that I find incredibly relaxing. I can work 8+ hours a day, come home and do 2-3 hours of school work, and as long as I get to sew, everything is ok in my world. We may not eat a gourmet dinner or have a very clean house, but I’m happy. Just call first before coming over :)

A little charisma

2010-04-02T12:00:00.000-04:00

in the form of a jelly roll…

Plus the Knickerbocker Glory pattern from Jelly Roll Inspirations yielded lots of four patches and a messy work area…

Which will be sewn together on point tonight once I figure out how to arrange my colors!

Lessons learned so far: Quilting under the influence, particularly rotary cutting, is not suggested. Cutting mishaps can occur, but luckily all of my fingertips are in place. I’ll need to figure out a new strategy for the summer since grilling generally involves delicious Blue Moon.

Thursday Threads

2010-04-01T07:00:00.000-04:00

Since I missed Sunday stash…

A few new purchases from Country Quiltworks in North Wales. I needed a yard of Kona solids in ivory for my current project and ended up leaving with this, plus some thread. (Three) Fabrics on the right are Make Life by Sweetwater. My MIL picked it out for the Amy Butler Frenchy Bag pattern. I can’t wait to get started on it…I just hope I don’t love it so much I can’t give it away!

Welcome Home Baby….

2010-03-31T07:00:00.000-04:00

Babylock that is!

I love, love, love it and it seriously sews like a dream!

Look for a full review…once I finish my first project with it!

Spring Break – Jamaica Edition

2010-03-30T16:00:00.000-04:00

The past 2 weeks have been a blur. My birthday was during finals week (boo hoo) which was followed by a trip to Jamaica. When you get older birthdays are just like any other day, except people are (usually) a little nicer to you and sometimes give you cake and presents. This year, my mom made me a yummy birthday dinner and Hubby brought an awesome St. Patty’s day themed strawberry shortcake for dessert.

My parents got me a chair for my sewing table which turned out to be perfect, plus I’m proud of the fact that I put it together myself. Up until recently I had been using an ottoman (ouch!) or a chair from my dining room.

Hubby got me a new camera which takes amazing pictures. We weren’t supposed to get each other birthday gifts this year…which I of course followed, but he didn’t. So I wasn’t expecting a gift, but when I went up to bed there was a camera on the tv with a cute little bow. He’s so sweet!

After finals were over, we packed up and flew to Jamaica for 5 days. We stayed at the Sunset Beach Resort in Montego Bay. It was amazing…and so warm and sunny every day. The food was so-so but everything else was great!

View from the restaurant where we ate breakfast each morning.

View of the beach….each day was this gorgeous!

Sunday Stash

2010-03-14T22:09:00.000-04:00

I don't think I ever do these...but I added some cute fabric to my stash this week so I thought, why not?!

Friday night was the first sewing night of the Philly Modern Quilt Guild. I drove over an hour through rain, wind and traffic to get there, but it was worth it! I got the binding sewn onto my animal alphabet pinwheel quilt (which I LOVE) and picked up some new fabric while in the shop. How could I resist?

3 yards of Blush by Basic Grey for Moda. Yummy! Believe it or not, I don't really have any WIPs. So I might just have to cut this up soon!

Such a busy weekend! Saturday I drove through more wind, rain, and flooded roads to a baby shower to give mommy-to-be the animal alphabet quilt. I literally pulled it out of the dryer, wrapped it, and walked out the door! Talk about last minute finishes....but here it is all quilted.

Here is a close up of the backing...so cute!

Hope you had a great weekend!

“A” is for …

2010-03-09T16:00:00.000-05:00

Animal Alphabet…

Yet another baby quilt and hopefully my last for quite a little bit.

This is my first attempt at pinwheels and so far I’m loving it. Charm packs make it quick and easy peasy to put together!

The fabrics are so colorful and fun…perfect for a little one!

Here is the top all put together with a cute baby blue border. Fabric is Animal Alphabet by Moda with some white solids mixed in. Another attempt at stippling…we’ll see! I see basting/quilting in the near future since this one will be gifted on Saturday!

FO – Happy Campers

2010-03-08T16:00:00.000-05:00

Here it is in all it’s quilty goodness!

I held this one captive for show and tell at the first meeting of the Philly Modern Quilting Guild (which was awesome btw!).

My coworker stopped in with her new son last week and I was able to give it to her then, instead of mailing it out! Whew! Another one gone, and one more baby quilt left to complete for a shower on Saturday. What ever will I do when I’m done making baby quilts?

Giveaways!

2010-02-18T09:00:00.001-05:00

There are a few giveaways out there in bloggy world right now. Here are a few I found through the ORB flickr group.

Michelle’s Musings is giving away a $50 shopping spree to CSN Stores in honor of her 28th birthday. I went practical and picked a backpack for school! Giveaway open until Feb 23rd!

Greta at Because I Sew So is giving away a FQ of Flea Market Fancy!!! No seriously she is! Giveaway open until Saturday morning Feb 21st. Hurry over and leave a comment.

Dena is giving away 1/2 yard prints of Heather Ross, Tea Garden, Moda Mother Goose, and Make It You by RJR Fabrics for her 300 blog post milestone. Go over and congratulate her! Tell her I sent you! Giveaway open until Feb 23rd.

Grendelskin is giving away a fabric strip set based on your choice of two color-ways to make your own quilt top using the Film in the Fridge tutorial for string quilts. Giveaway open until Feb 28th.

Stippling Woes

2010-02-15T15:55:00.000-05:00

I gave it my best effort…2 hours worth of sewing, ripping out large amounts of stippling, playing with tensions, rinse and repeat. I told myself to not be a perfectionist about stippling and I was pretty happy with my work until I peaked at the reverse side. My tension was way out of whack!

First, it was too tight on the back. I used 2 different colors of thread which I shortly decided was a bad idea. After adjusting the tension to what I thought worked well, at least on my scrap piece, I ended up with the thread being really loose on the back. Grrr! Needless to say after I tore it all out a total of three times, I ended up straight line quilting the table runner.

Any advice regarding tensions would be really helpful! I think I’ll whip up some pot holders for practice.

In other non-quilty news, there is a lot of snow on the ground from the snow storms last week and the week before. The supermarket was out of eggs this weekend due to the storms and there were signs posted in the produce section indicating prices would be increasing and that supplies would be low. I’m a little nervous about it to say the least.

A picture of our snow covered street the day after the last storm:

A perfect weekend

2010-02-14T16:41:00.000-05:00

because:

~no snow! I’m still looking at piles of the white stuff but at least it didn’t inconvenience my weekend.

~me and Hubby went to a Flyers game Friday night complete with Chickie and Pete’s crab fries and my new favorite beer Blue Moon!

~I spent an entire Saturday sewing. I finished one project and am almost finished my happy campers quilt. Pictures to come soon!

~I bought my first OttLite lamp at JoAnn’s Saturday (40% off!) while picking up some Navy Kona solid. The light is awesome!

~my wonderful husband is making a surf and turf dinner for Valentine’s day. He cooks amazing meals!

Modern Quilting

2010-02-12T16:00:00.000-05:00

Recently Julie started the Philly Chapter of the Modern Quilt Guild. I was sooo excited when I saw Julie post about it because I’ve been looking for a quilting guild to get involved with locally. I’m semi-new to quilting…I love the bright and bold fabrics that aren’t sold at JoAnn’s (read: designer). Like all quilters and seamstresses, I have a ~~mild~~ complete obsession with fabric. I make what I like and generally work with colors I love. Am I a modern quilter? I don’t know. I’m not exactly sure what modern quilting is or if it can be completely defined. Over at the Modern Quilt Guild blog, the question, “What does modern quilting mean to me?” was asked and I’ve been trying to answer it. Here’s what I came up with:

Modern quilting is about fresh and fun fabrics. The first time I tried quilting I picked the most traditional block pattern and boring fabrics. Talk about uninspiring! That project is packed up far, far away! Modern quilting is taking old versions of traditional blocks and making them your own..either with fabric choices and/or machine quilting. Modern quilting is also making your own pattern or having no pattern at all. Although, I have to admit I am not a fan of wonkiness and wonky log cabins. I think that’s just my Type A personality. To read more about modern quilting, check out the Modern Quilt Guild blog.

The Essence of Life

2010-02-09T16:45:00.000-05:00

For Christmas, my extended family participated in a white elephant gift exchange. My intention was to make my gift…it was a good intention. I pieced a disappearing 9 patch table runner out of Essence by Deb Strain for Moda. I was going to make coasters or buy a candle to go with it. I only got as far as the piecing until work magically sent me off to central Pennsylvania for a few days.

What really happened was I became afraid…of stippling. Silly, right? I loved the pieced top and thought it would look amazing stippled…but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. So there it sits, unfinished and calling out. But now I have a problem…I have a baby quilt I want to stipple so it looks like I’ll be tackling that table runner after all! It’ll be great practice for a bigger project.

We have another major snowstorm on the way tonight. Our third of over 20 inches in one year. Craziness! Maybe I’ll attempt some stippling between shoveling duty!

Check out this happy camper

2010-01-27T16:00:00.000-05:00

Finished one baby quilt and just like that I’m starting another. I picked up two Happy Camper charm packs to make two baby quilts using the Charm Squares Baby Quilt by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh, Fransoon!

My coworker’s last day is this Friday before her maternity leave. She is lucky enough to be a stay at home mom so she won’t be coming back….so jealous! Unfortunately I have class tonight and tomorrow night, so I’ll be mailing this to her.

I took a picture to remember my layout, but now that I see it from a distance, I see a few changes I’d like to make. The sashing will be white with a bright colored binding and backing.

BTW, I’m loving this Windows Live Writer for my blog posting. So much easier to deal with pictures and built in spell check. I’m sure there’s tons of other features I haven’t even discovered yet.

Birdie Baby Quilt

2010-01-26T16:00:00.000-05:00

Wow, I’ve disappeared for awhile! Holy Cow!

I swear after June (i.e. graduation followed by a wealth of free time) my blogging habits will be much better. Really!

Lately I’ve become obsessed with precuts especially charm packs. I bought Birdie charm packs in anticipation that one of my two pregnant coworkers would be having a girl. No such luck!

Instead, a good friend of mom’s daughter is pregnant and guess what?! It’s a girl. So I whipped this up just in time for her shower on Sunday. I love the binding and backing on this one.

What I love even more than this watermelon backing, is the quilt rack made by my Hubby for Christmas. The tiger maple is gorgeous…. (please excuse the furry floor)

Too bad I’ve only made 3 quilts and have given all 3 away!!

Now what do I do?

2009-11-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

I puffy heart Amazon.com.

I only had one goal for the Black Friday madness.....to find a food processor. It's been on my "want" list (along with a cricut) for some time now and I thought I'd find the best deals on Black Friday. After scanning the sale ads, the only one I found was a 7 cup food processor for $80 at Macys. I almost went to buy it, but when I saw the news showing the craziness at the mall I decided to stay in bed.

I found a great deal on Amazon for this 12 cup Kitchenaid food processor in black. I wanted white, but who am I to pass up a deal?! Free shipping, no tax, and a $20 rebate! The best part, I received it next day...on a Saturday! I was shocked!

Now I just need to figure out what to do with it :)

Things to be thankful for....

2009-11-23T16:30:00.000-05:00

~being healthy and having a healthy family. Knock on wood it stays this way for many years to come.

~my job. My company has laid off a few people and fortunately Hubby and I have managed to keep our jobs. Other companies in the same industry have either gone under or laid off a significant portion of their staff.

~almost being done grad school. Only 4 classes to go! Yay!

~my family. I have such an amazing family that has been incredibly supportive through all the phases of my life, from high school, to college, to marriage, to grad school. The get-togethers aren't as frequent as they were when I was younger which is why the holidays are my favorite time of year. I can't wait to see everyone!

~ and finally Maggie. Yes I am thankful for a crazy, rambunctious puppy! She is a great companion to Paige and is literally a 50 pound, cuddly, lap dog. I'm glad we were able to save her from the shelter system.

So what are you thankful for this year?

Public Speaking Anxiety

2009-11-20T12:00:00.000-05:00

I know I'm not alone in this. It was obvious last night during my grad school presentations that there were other people even more nervous than me. I have to say their nervousness put me at ease....just a little.

Speaking in front of a group of people is nerve wracking no matter what the topic of your presentation. I could have given a presentation on sewing or baking and have felt the same way as I did last night presenting a technical talk. I think the more familiar you are with your presentation the better you will do...but let's admit it. That only goes so far.

Each time I have a presentation, the anxiety I experience is a little less. Public speaking is something I would love to do more of (honestly) because I want, no NEED to be good at it.

I also hate having a set time. Saying my presentation has be exactly 8, 12, or 22 minutes, no more and no less, doesn't make me any less anxious. I'd be more comfortable with a range of say 10-12 minutes. Each time I practiced my presentation it was 17-20 minutes...way too long. I almost considered deleting some slides. Good thing I left it alone because I think I was just a bit under...I was able to catch myself a few times, take a breath, and continue much slower. I almost wish someone had recorded the presentations so we could see how nervous we all were.

I have no tips, but if you do, feel free to comment and help a girl out!

Now that that's over ::::sigh of relief:::::, I can look forward to the upcoming holiday and hopefully some much needed sewing time!

Feelin' the Christmas Spirit...sorta

2009-11-11T23:30:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the release of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2. I will save you the background of the game...all that matters is the release of this game was highly anticipated and built up by Hubby, my brother, and lots of other 20-30+ year old men (and women including myself) I know.

Hubby preordered the game from a popular gaming store and we picked it up during lunch. I was lucky enough to not have to go to the midnight release. When we got home from work, Hubby tore into the packaging. Watching Hubby, I experienced a weird feeling and then all of a sudden it hit me....

I was instantly reminded of the leg lamp. If you are not familiar with the leg lamp....well you're missing out. It is from my favorite Christmas movie ever, A Christmas Story. It's actually played for 24 hours straight on TBS on Christmas day. Watching Hubby open this "gift" was like watching the Old Man - Mr. Parker open the leg lamp. The light in his eyes and the pure happiness was a sight to see....Ok so the gift:

The game comes with night vision goggles and a numbered display head. Yes, for real! Functioning night vision goggles that have nothing to do with the game and a nifty artwork book! As for the actual game play, I don't know as I haven't had the privelege of playing yet.

Check Out This Giveaway!

2009-10-20T12:00:00.001-04:00

Pumpkin Patch Primitives Quilt Shoppe is hosting an amazing Halloween giveaway!

The prize is for a Fat Quarter Bundle of Red Rooster's Pumpkins & Spice Fabrics by Whimsicals. If there are more than 250 entries, Pumpkin Patch will sweeten the pot and giveaway TWO fat quarter bundles.

Go check it out and enter today (open until October 31st)!

Be A Finisher!

2009-10-07T09:00:00.000-04:00

Do you love the rush of starting a new project? Do you love picking your pattern, materials, and all the new gadgets you might need to complete your project? Do you have a bazillion unfinished objects (UFOs) or works in progress (WIPs)? I'm joining Nicole over at Sister's Choice Quilts for her Finish It project.

Here are a few of the projects I've started in the past ~~ten~~ few years:

This is the first quilt I started. I have no idea why I chose something so large and intricate. I *thought* I really loved piecing!

I found this quilt pattern in a Women's Day magazine a long time ago. I had to make it. I still love it. Occassionally I'll work on it, but lately not so much.

This one is from the ORB Quilt Along round 1. I got busy with school and never cared for the colors, so this one was easy to put down. I'm thinking about making two smaller quilts out of it, rather than one large quilt. The blocks are completed, I just need to sew the top.

Part of the reason I put down ORB Quilt 1 is because ORB round 2 was starting. I didn't want to get left behind and zig zagging sounded like so much fun. I'm proud of how much I have completed of this quilt since I was going to school through the summer (and working full time). All that's left is the quilting and binding.

I'm going to work backwards and start with finishing the zig zag. I actually started quilting it already - barely... I completed one line of quilting after fighting with my thread tension, new thread and new bobbins. My machine does not like the new bobbins and is apparently a thread snob. I've been sewing with Gutterman lately but decided to switch up with some Coats & Clark. My machine literally threw up the thread. So not worth the stress. By the time I figured everything out and resolved the problems an hour had gone by. Quilting is never easy, but it's always fun! :)

I hope you'll join me and finish a project you've started!

No longer newlyweds!

2009-10-04T06:00:00.003-04:00

According to my grandfather, you are a bride for one year. I've enjoyed my year as a bride and our first year of marriage. I look forward to the many years to come! Happy Anniversary Hubby!

Time to get busy...

2009-09-21T04:00:00.000-04:00

Classes start again after my teeny, tiny summer break. While I'm not looking forward to ~~driving~~ fighting traffic through the city, I am looking forward to new television starting this week (Grey's Anatomy) and last week (Bones). Oh Grey's, how I've missed you! I'm looking forward to my online Toxicology class, which if designed well, will help me with my career. UGG season is ~~almost~~ upon us people! Other things to look forward to: my first wedding anniversary :)

Things I'm not looking forward to: lack of time to clean house, the warm summer air, fresh veggies from the garden, flip flops.

The zig zag quilt is basted and ready to be quilted. I basted with pins to try something new since the spray adhesive was far too sticky last time. I found an amazing backing fabric at JoAnn's. It's the perfect print, was wide enough I didn't need to piece the back, and was incredibly soft! Amanda Jean over at crazymomquilts has a great blog post about where quilters buy their fabric. There are alot of interesting comments over there so check it out!

.....And the winner is

2009-09-11T23:17:00.000-04:00

Thank you to everyone for visiting my blog and for the suggestions for the Wonderland jelly roll. I can't wait to start cutting it up but still need to narrow down my choices.

And the winner is lucky number 13!!!! Congrats to ladmquilter who said, "I like the idea of a string quilt. I think that would look great." Please email your mailing address and I will send the fabric your way!

Here's a sneak peek at what I finished tonight:

Now off to find some backing and purchase batting. Border or no border...that is the question!

Birthday Celebrations

2009-09-11T16:00:00.000-04:00

Today is a very special day for my family. Today is the eleventh of September, also known as my Dad's 50th Birthday. I have mixed feelings about how to celebrate the day and I can't imagine how my dad must feel to have his birthday forever marked with the tragedy known as September 11th. We remember those lost on that day....But still we celebrate, especially this year, and this milestone.

For dad's birthday, I surprised him with cupcakes at work. Dad only works about a mile away from where I work so it was actually quite convenient. I'm very glad Dad decided to go to work today as there will be a special surprise waiting for him when he gets home. I am very much like my father...I hate to be the center of attention. I hate to stand out in a crowd. Let's hope Dad is not too angry with me for my present!

So Happy 50th Birthday to the best dad a girl could ever have!!!

Oh and don't worry! I'll be picking a giveaway winner shortly :)

Free At Last!

2009-09-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

The semester is finally over! One class was a breeze...the other completely made up for it. Only 6 more classes to go for my degree.

Now that I have time again (for only 2 weeks until classes start again) I have so much to do. The house is a mess, the pets have been ignored, and sewing has been non existent. Luckily I am still motivated to work on the zig zag quilt top...which is almost done! Pictures coming soon.

It's coming along great and I'm loving the colors. Now to pick out some backing so I don't stall out.

Don't forget to enter the giveaway - open until September 11th! Thank you for all the wonderful suggestions. I have an idea or two of what to do with the jelly roll...now to find some Wonderland backing fabric at my LQS.

100th Post Giveaway

2009-09-02T07:00:00.000-04:00

Better late, then never!

In celebration of my 100th post and my new bloggy name I am hosting a giveaway!!

Enter to win the fabric pictured below...Winner takes all!
Three fat quarters from my LQS....

and three pieces of fabric approximately 6-7" x 42".

Rules:

To enter leave a comment telling me what quilt pattern to make using my Moda Wonderland Jelly Roll. I have been dying to use it, and can't think of what to do with it.

To get a second entry, blog about my giveaway on your blog, come back and leave a 2nd comment telling me you did.

Giveaway will be open through Friday September 11th at 5:00 pm EST. Winner will be selected by random.org! Open to my international bloggy pals too!

Introducing: The Crafty Procrastinator

2009-08-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

Well I've finally found my destined blog name.

"Just keep swimming" was a temporary (year and a half long) name that I never intended to keep. Sitting here this morning still in a fog from the weekend and The Crafty Procrastinator just came to me. It's a perfect fit for me!

I hope you are looking forward to more regular posts from the crafty procrastinator...I know I am :)

Maggie Mae

2009-08-16T10:16:00.001-04:00

As if life couldn't get any crazier...we adopted a puppy! All sewing/quilting has been on hold since Tuesday...even though my blocks for the zig zag quilt along are ready to be sewn together...

Last Friday night we went to the animal shelter to look at a few dogs...we put an application in for no dog in particular so Hubby and I could properly discuss. That night we decided to adopt a chocolate lab puppy that we thought was 10 months old. A call on Monday led me to believe we didn't stand a chance at getting her due to how many applications they already had. Tuesday afternoon we received another call from a woman who was fostering the siblings of the puppy we wanted and offered us her sister. The puppy was from a litter that was brought up from North Carolina...and was only 13 weeks old, not 10 months.

We went to meet her that night with Paige at the animal shelter. It was all up to Paige at that point, because if Paige didn't like her, it was a no-go. The girls met and really just ignored each other. There was too much else going on at the shelter and too many other scents to get a real sense of how they would be.

Our first night was hell! The puppy cried every hour in the crate. We got no sleep! I really don't think we knew quite what we were in for. Each day/night gets better, but at first I really questioned if we made the right decision. Paige seems happy. The puppy who we finally named Maggie Mae is very attached to Paige. Everyone is adjusting...well almost everyone. It took Spike a few days to come downstairs, but Annabelle still won't come down. She'll come around eventually...I hope.

We took Maggie to the vet yesterday and she was given a clean bill of health. She was treated for a few things while in foster care so we were happy everything came back ok.

Some day Maggie will be a great dog....but for now she's just a puppy!

Zig Zagging Stripes

2009-08-05T20:30:00.000-04:00

I almost gave up...almost.

I'm working on a Zig Zag Quilt for the ORB/ParkCityGirl Quilt Along this time hosted by Amy. Check out the cool group & instructions on flickr. I picked 15 fabrics, 5 of which have stripes. Lots of frustration (ie cursing) ensued in my hot hot sewing room last night as I tried to assemble my blocks. The stripes were going every which way and I HATED it. So much so, I almost scraped this Christmas gift to be. But alas, I have beat you quilt. I figured out your game and to save anyone else suffering from this predicament and surely myself in the future; here is how to do it so that stripes align:

Here are two of my squares, pinned in the center.

Draw a line on the diagonal of one block. Rotate the second block 90 degrees and draw a line on the diagonal of the second block.

Sew 1/4" on each side of the line. Cut squares on the diagonal with a rotary cutter. Press, snip, etc. (I haven't gotten that far yet, nor are my blocks exactly square at this point!)

Ok, now take your newly cut half square triangles from one block, separate and open them up like so.

Take your second block, separate the half square triangles, and pair each one up with the ones you've already laid out. So one half square triangle from the first block will match up with one half square triangle from the second block.

Now the best part is you can rearrange the squares very easily so that the print can be vertical or horizontal. Vertical wavy lines in the photo below.

Same blocks just rotated so that the light blue fabric has horizontal wavy lines. I prefer this one over the one above.

My next obstacle....we'll see how it goes.

Just make sure that you rotate 1/2 of the blocks 90 degrees. I have 6 blocks, so I need to remember to rotate 3 of them. I'll have to make sure to do this when I'm not tired.

Hope this helps someone out there.

Coming And Going

2009-08-05T07:00:00.000-04:00

I love getting mail. Even if it's something I've ordered, I love seeing it arrive on my porch. So when I received these items yesterday....they made my day.

The first is a pincushion from Francesca and a really neat postcard. I won her giveaway featured on Alicia's blog "My Favorite Things." It's the first giveaway I've won so I'm very excited about it. I can't wait to start using it, especially since I've invested in new pins recently! The second item is from Nancy, from Blogging Near Philadelphia. Nancy was recently de-stashing and offered up some really cute patterns on her blog. I snagged the Hugs & Kisses Pattern shown below. Thanks Nancy!

There was some mail going out as well. I love sending cute little packages but unfortunately time is not on my side lately so I do my best. Below is the Amy Butler fabric for the Fat Quarter Drawing for the Zig Zag quilt along. This went out a day late, but I was sick! I swear! There's also a PBS book below the fabric. It seems I send one book a week out these days!

So yes, I am working on the zig zag quilt but it's a Christmas gift...so I may not be posting too much of it here. We'll see!

Giveaways Galore!!!

2009-07-31T06:00:00.000-04:00

Not mine yet! Coming soon though, I promise!

Here are a few awesome giveaways with some time left to enter:

First up: Karen over at Badlands Quilts is giving away a Soiree HoneyBun for her 25th post! Karen's giveaway ends August 5th so head on over!

Over at PS I Quilt, Rachel is giving away a $50 gift certificate to fat quarter shop! Talk about awesome! Seriously! You have to hurry though because the last day to enter is today!

Last but not least, there is an amazing bag giveaway over at Bumble Beans Quilts! The contest ends tomorrow (August 1st) at 9am. Go visit V's blog to see the gorgeous bag and enter the giveaway!

Vacation Re-Cap

2009-07-27T22:00:00.000-04:00

Last week, Hubby, me, and Paige took a mini vacation. We went to the beach for a few days...just long enough to get crispy and finish a book or two! Paige normally does not go on vacation with us...and I was hesitant to take her. Paige makes poor choices in our house and even more recently does not go in her crate since breaking out of it a few months back. It has since been put back together but I'm afraid to leave her in it, fearing that she'll try to break out again and hurt herself. So, the crate stayed home. Paige came to the beach and was a very good girl. She cried a little when we left a few times to go to the beach and boardwalk. She was so good, we bought her a baby on the boardwalk since we forgot to pack some for her to play with. Surprisingly the baby has lasted more than 10 minutes (up to 5 days now!) without her shredding it completely.

Paige chillaxing in bed with her new baby! Paige was a tired girl from

all the walks on the beach and the heat.

A view from the bay of our vacation location. This picture was taken during our

crabbing trip the previous weekend. It was my first time on a boat!

I packed my sewing machine and sewing basket to work on a quilt but the sunny beach was too inviting to sit inside and sew! We came home to a defrosted freezer and not completely cold refrigerator. Fortunately, the refrigerator is not broken and the malfunction was a result of someone (ugh...me) leaving the freezer door slightly open. The bad news is everything in my freezer had to be discarded. The good news is a lot of it needed to be thrown out anyway. Before figuring out that the fridge was working properly, we researched buying a new one and looked at quite a few. That, my friends, is another blog post for another time.

Hi, my name is Swedish and I'm an Eco-Sinner!

2009-07-14T21:00:00.001-04:00

Another crazy week of classes and sewing, another project completed! Hubby surprised me with flowers from his garden last week. They were so pretty and it was very sweet! On top of classes and sewing, was book club. This month's book was, "Confessions of an Eco-sinner" by Fred Pearce. I still have not finished it (ooops!) but I can already say it is a great read. Fred flies around the world to research where his "stuff" comes from: everything from his wedding ring, to his computer, to the socks on his feet, the coffee he drinks, the fruits and veggies on his plate, etc.

It is by far an eye opening book and as a consumer made me very depressed. Basically I've learned that fair trade anything isn't necessarily fair trade. The farmers growing the crops don't see that additional money we are paying for the end "fair trade" product. The only thing fair trade assures is that the farmers are getting paid slightly higher than the market value which in reality is only a few cents. The only other point I'll bring up for thought, before stepping off the soapbox, is that almost all of our clothes in the US come from sweat shops or are made from materials that are grown by grossly underpaid farmers. Granted this is not my own research, and I'm sure there plenty of online vendors, so don't shoot the messenger! Fred basically tell us that the clothes we buy from Walmart, Old Navy, Gap, etc are all produced in the same factory. They all come off the same assembly line. So why on earth should I pay $58 for a pair of jeans at Gap, when I can buy them for $10 or $15 at Walmart? I would be more than willing to pay $40 for a pair of jeans, if I knew that extra money went to the workers rather than some CEO sitting behind a desk. So needless to say the book was depressing, made me feel helpless in the world I live in, but I need to keep on, keepin' on.

So now that you've digested that (you are still there, aren't you?), here are the chair cushions I made/recovered this weekend. The picture shows the back of the top cushion, because the front was too boring. The strings are to tie it to the chair. I'm pleased with how they turned out, although they don't photograph well and they are super soft!

I'm A Machine

2009-07-06T20:00:00.000-04:00

I'm a reading, homework doing, class attending, bbq-ing, book club attending, sewing and soon to be exercising machine. This is probably going to be the busiest week ever! I have something to do each and every night this week and unfortunately none of it involves sewing. Tonight I had class...and I'll have to do more homework once my teacher realizes how crappy my paper is, but tomorrow...tomorrow is going to be AWESOME! We are going to DORNEY Park! Hubby got me tickets for my birthday (great present) and I can't wait to go. We've never been to an amusement park together. I love water parks and am not a fan of roller coasters, but that's ok because neither is here. Although I've got all this crazy stuff to do, I've managed to pick up another project and the deadline is ASAP. My mom's friend's DIL is having a baby girl in about 2 weeks. Her first baby was a boy so everything is blue. Not going to work for a baby girl, right? My mom volunteered me to recover cushions for the rocking chair/glider since they couldn't find cushions to buy outright. I have the cushions, check. I have the fabric and thread, check. I have the time...hello time, where are you? I'm all about upcycling and reuse but I'm a little short on time.

The fabric was an excellent buy at JoAnn fabric. I can't tell you how much, it was that cheap! It's upholstery fabric and it's velvety. It is going to cover the cushions nicely and be really comfy for the new mom. Here's a pic of the fabric ready to be cut... It's very plain and neutral (read: does not photograph well). I'm not sure exactly how this is going to work, but wish me luck!

To make up for the less than quality photo above, here's something I've recently added to my stash. I have aspirations of making a Wonderland quilt of some sort with this (any suggestions, please??), but of course I'd like to hold on to it forever! The jelly roll and patchwork fabric, (1 yard) are from fabric.com. The floral is a fat quarter that I grabbed off the table at The Little Shop during their fat quarter frenzy sale yesterday. 20 fat quarters for $25...I only bought 20....but I'm so going back for more!

The Great Escape

2009-07-04T23:00:00.000-04:00

Happy 4th of July!!

I love summer and spending time with family/friends, so this is one of my favorite holidays.

Hubby and I hosted our second annual 4th of July barbecue this year, but on July 3rd! The preparation/shopping was overwhelming and there were some minor fireworks incidents at night but overall it was a good time.

The following day we were sitting (recovering) on the couch before going to a family reunion when I noticed our window was open and the screen was nowhere to be seen. Spike (my kitty) would like to explain what happened from his point of view. At this point in time, Annabelle is pleading the 5th. She's not very talkative to begin with anyway!

"I jumped up in the window to watch the birds and the screen fell out. I tumbled out the window and meowed really loud. Annabelle came to see what was going on and she jumped out the window to come see if I was ok. Luckily I have nine lives! I told Annabelle we needed to go wait on the porch because we aren't allowed outside. She thought the porch was to the right and I thought it was to the left. She wouldn't listen to me and I didn't want to get in trouble! When I got to the porch, I couldn't open the door so I thought it'd be better to wait under the porch for you to come find me. Good thing you found me, cause I was getting really hungry!"

The drop was about 7 feet from the ground. I obviously have no idea what really happened, but I was panicked when I couldn't find my babies. I heard Spike meowing and found him right away under the porch. We searched the house for Annabelle again...and then I started to really panic (and cry). She hides so well and is scared of everything. I searched the back yard and barely spotted her brown and black butt under the deck. Hubby crawled under and pulled her out. She was limp so my first concern was that maybe she got hit by a car. Once I got her in the house she was fine, she's just petrified of everything.

Sleepy Spike laying in Hubby's clothes.

Annabelle cuddling on the couch.

Just A Glimpse!

2009-06-30T07:00:00.002-04:00

This is where the magic happens! My sweet little Kenmore from my grandmom has been a dream. Grandmom recently told me the only reason she got rid of it was because my pop-pop wanted to buy her a new one. She ended up with a Singer and I got her Kenmore. I think I ended up with the better end of the deal :) You can see my essentials nearby: Sigg bottle, cell phone, and house phone! Someday when I'm brave enough or clean well, I'll post pictures of the rest of the craft room.

My first row is finally assembled for the quilt along. I have 6 more left (I think!!). I'm waaaay behind but I've got way too many other things to focus on right now!

FO- Plastic bag holder. Hubby has been bothering me for months (or a year) about getting all of the plastic bags out of our kitchen drawer. They just took over one day so that we can't open the drawer above without a hassle. So here is my solution:

The top is closed and has a handle to hang it. It is a straight seam and the bottom has an elastic casing. The fabric is from a swap so I have no idea what it's called. It probably only holds 10% of our plastic bags so I'll take the rest to be recycled. I know what you are thinking....yes we use cloth bags for shopping when we remember, but we need the plastic bags for cleaning the litter box too. We definitely don't need the 5 bajillion I just took out of the drawer though! Next time, I would make the bag holder more curvy rather than straight seamed and Hubby suggested an open top.

My next post is either 99 or 100! Look for a 100th post giveaway!

Edited to add: This was only my 96th post! Sorry, I can't count!

Summer, Summer, Summer Time!!!

2009-06-29T18:56:00.005-04:00

In the past week, I've added so many blogs to my reader I can't keep up! It's great to see the projects everyone has been working on.

Here's what I've been up to:

Finished Object - Frenchy Bag

I enjoyed making this bag! The fabric was cute and the pattern was super simple, especially since this is the second one I made. The only pattern alteration I made was I made the 2 pockets into 4 so they would be more functional. I think now I'll try the handbag (smaller) version of this bag!

This week has been incredibly busy. I had a whole bunch of things to post, but not enough time! School started Monday, the world lost Farah and MJ on Thursday, and we experienced a loss of our own the same day. Our neighbor's dog Larry got off of his leash Wednesday night and was hit by a train. It was horrible. He was one of four dachsunds that our neighbors rescued. Larry left behind his mate/wife who was just rescued by my neighbors not too long ago. Paige lost a very good friend that day.

Race Against Time

2009-06-15T18:00:00.000-04:00

Looking back this time a year ago, there was no way I would be able to spend an hour (or 2) a night sewing. I was planning a wedding, working full time, and taking classes. I never had time for hobbies, other than pottery. Now that the wedding has passed and I've stopped taking classes, I've had so much time to spend on hobbies. The problem is I have too many hobbies!

By the end of the work day, I'm usually so tired and frustrated that all I want to do is go home and veg...which I do...ALOT! Not to mention all this weight I have gained since the wedding. Who has time (or energy) to work out after working all day, and then even more energy to create? Not me! I can't even imagine what having kids will do to my "me time".

Well I have bad news...classes start on Monday. Yes, classes, plural. The good news....they are online. My hobby time will be gone once again. It's time to prioritize and make some cuts. Scrap booking has been long gone. I'd rather spend $300 on fabric than on a Cricut. I'm sure I'll revisit scrap booking later, like when I have kids to take pictures of. Pottery is on hiatus too. It's too expensive and in this economy it's all about saving money. Besides, how many bowls or cup-like things without handles do I really need? Knitting and cross stitch are good traveling crafts so they'll probably survive the downsizing (at least this time around). It looks like sewing is here to stay! Goals of the week, by Monday I need to finish AB purse #2 (fabric is cut & ready to be sewn) and ORB quilt. I'm still behind in the quilt along. I have one strip set left to complete. Hopefully I'll finish the top tonight :) Then I'll need to pick backing and batting up from the store.

Wish me luck!

Slowly but surely...

2009-06-10T15:59:00.004-04:00

the quilt is coming along.

Cutting was quick and easy!

Piecing and sewing strips has been time consuming. So far, I have sewn 6 sets of 6 strips. My blocks are averaging about 12.5 inches. I have about 18 blocks so far, 3 of each pictured below.

I'm still not sure about the layout and the colors. I feel like I'm forcing something which is making this quilt difficult to work on :/

Added to the stash this weekend:

Fabric for Amy Butler Frenchie bag #2. This one is for mom so it'll be cut up and sewn rather quickly.

WIP - Quilt Along

2009-06-03T06:00:00.000-04:00

So now that the Frenchy bag is off my plate, I can start on the Old Red Barn Co Quilt Along (see side bar). It's week 3 so I'm a little behind, but I can easily catch up (and so can YOU!).

I really wanted to use the Paula Prass Flights of Fancy line that Dana is using in her quilt, but it's not really in my budget. Instead, I went to JoAnn's during a killer sale and bought this stash of fabric. Looking forward to finally cutting it tonight!

FO: Amy Butler Frenchy purse

2009-06-02T21:37:00.002-04:00

I couldn't resist working on this bag. It was quick to sew and when you are working with fabric you love, it makes it "sew" much easier.

Project Time: 3 days - total of 5 or 6 hours. The cutting took probably the same amount of time as the sewing.

I've never made a fully lined purse before this one. It's amazing! It's lined and complete with sew-in interfacing (a huge accomplishment for me), pockets, and magnetic snap. I'm a huge skip the interfacing girl, but I wanted to do this the right way and am sooo glad I did!

I made 2 alterations to the pattern after reading a few reviews. I made the two HUGE pockets into four normal sized pockets. I also skipped top stitching the top panel because of what I read, but I realize now that was a mistake to try and do later with the magnetic snap. I think I'll do it by hand to secure the lining to the exterior of the bag.

I can't wait to make more of these. There is also a smaller handbag version that I'd like to try too! Now all I need is a matching little wallet to go with it!

Flickr

2009-06-02T21:25:00.001-04:00

This is a test post from , a fancy photo sharing thing.

WIP - Frenchy Bag

2009-05-26T05:00:00.000-04:00

Ready, cut, sew!

Some wonderful MODA fabrics for my Amy Butler Frenchy purse. I love this line of MODA and if the economy were a little better, I'd buy much more of it. The red & white polka dot is not MODA. Just something I picked up from JoAnn's.

Everything is cut, even the interfacing...so tonight the sewing begins. Wish me luck!

Signs of Summer

2009-05-23T14:00:00.000-04:00

I love summer...the hot sun, blooming flowers, flip flops, the beach, riding around with the top down on the jeep, and baseball. This weekend kicks off the unofficial start of summer and I CAN'T WAIT. Good-bye high heating bills, hello sweltering heat!

Pics of Hubby's dahlias

Paige enjoying the nice weather

Phil's/Met's game in a suite! Sweet!

RIP Harry Kalas