FNSI Results

My FNSI results are less then impressive.

I kinda forgot.

Oooopppps!

It was an incredibly busy day yesterday.

I took Allie out in the morning to run errands.

BJs and Joanns.

I did get the 8 yds of white I needed to start making Swoon.

Then home where I paired up my Ruby squares and started cutting out Block 1.

By 1:30 we were out the door to take Sam and hubby to the mall.

Sam needed new sneakers for school and then her and hubby were going to see movies.

Yes, different ones.

I did some browsing and then read a book while I waited for them.

As soon as they were done, it was back home, pick up the littler kids

and off to the elementary school to meet their new teachers for this year.

After that, we endured a bad rain and thunder storm and I sat in the rocking chair,

cuddled up under Cherry on Top and read a book.

And totally forgot about the FNSI.

But I did get the 2 fat quarters cut for block 1, so I guess I got something done.

Ahhh well, it was a productive week none the less :)

And Juliann, here is the pattern I am using to make my halloween quilt.

Picture Perfect Thursday

I wanted to do a wordless Wednesday post,

but alas, it was not to be.

I got in my morning walk/run.

I got the water off the pool cover (that was a 2 hour job).

I let the kids swim for 3 hours.

And then I quilted.

The baby quilt squares are complete and I am starting to assemble the rows.

The light in the dining room wasn't great for this pic, sorry.

The "strings" that you see in the top corner squares are actually ties to attach baby toys to.

The bottom squares will have those as well. The "off color" inner blocks are actually iSpy squares that I picked up at the Quilt Expo this summer. I love how it is turning out!

And now.....

4 halloween squares.

These will not be sitting next to each other, but this gives you an idea of the blocks.

Finally, part of a runner I put together for summer.

It still needs layered and quilted.

Derailed!

Email can be such a deterent to real life.

But we all have it.

And, for me at least, its fairly necessary.

You know.

I get notices from my fave stores.

Reminders from the library.

Info from the kids school.

Bills due.

You know.  I'm sure you get the same stuff.

But yesterday, I got a baby shower invitation.

I have a quilt all planned out for this baby.

But she's not due 'til October.

The END of October.

I thought I had plenty of time.

Except the baby shower is in the middle of September.

Which I guess I should have expected, if I had thought about it.

Its a good thing I had the quilt planned and fabric purchased.

Well, it was planned in my mind. Not really on paper.

Or computer.

Ok. I got this.

Last night, I sat here and designed it on the computer.

Today, I started it.

It will probably go pretty quick, as it really is small, only about 47x47.

BUT! I had other things on my list to be done first!

My halloween quilt.

The secret quilt I can't blog about yet.

The halloween panels that need quilted.

So I've been derailed.

But its still quilting, right?

And I do love making baby quilts.

Once this one is done, it should be my #9 of 11 in '11.

Pics to come later!

August Update

Aloha!

I feel like I am still on island time.

Which is both good and bad.

Good because I still feel like I'm on vacation.

Which I am. Sorta. For at least another week.

Bad because I still feel like I'm on vacation

and I'm not really getting anything done!

However, I have some excuses.

And some things I've gotten done.

But no pics today, sorry.

Maybe later this week!

In terms of excuses, my mom has been in town.

That only happens twice a year, so I treasure my time with her and stay out of the cave while she's here.

She was supposed to leave today, but due to air traffic problems in the midwest, she's staying another night.

So, yeah!

We went camping while she was here, and boy did that bring back memories of being a kid!

My mom is great!

As for things I have gotten done....

I was steadily working on my halloween quilt.

Its going to be in this pattern:

My black is a black on black swirl and the yellow is a deep purple with a sparkle in it.

I'm hoping to finish up the blocks this week.

I am already signed up for the FNSI, so that should help.

I bought the rest of the fabric I needed to make my neice's christmas quilt.

And I got an email last week that The Fat Quarter Shop got Ruby in!!

WoooHoooo!

I bought the Swoon pattern soon after it was released and knew it was going on my bed.

I'm going to increase the size to make the blocks 4x4 and add some borders to make it a bit bigger on the sides, but I am really excited to make this.

So, I ordered Ruby today.

Plus some Kate Spain Flurry charm squares.

And 2 patterns.

Yep, I really like the FQS.

 That's my update.

I'll try to get back here more often.

The kids start school next week,

and that will make things easier.

I love having them home for the summer,

but I am always ready for them to go back to school.



Trick or Treat

While I was at the Quilt Expo (in June, in Washington, DC)

I picked up this fantastic Trick or Treat (by Deb Strain

for Moda ) jelly roll.

Halloween is my favorite holiday

and I have been dying to make a quilt for it.

Its going to be somewhere between lap size and twin size.

And I might have enough to get either a wall hanging or table runner out of it.

I also have a couple of matching panels that just need layered and quilted.

I ran out this morning and bought a black swirl and purple sparkle fabric to use as backgrounds and borders.

They are washed and ironed and the black is partially cut.

Tomorrow, the rest of the cutting and hopefully I'll start the piecing.

This should be #8 of my 11 in '11.

Its almost August and the time to think ahead to the holidays is here :)

Aloha!

Aloha, my friends!

Did you know that aloha has 3 meanings?
Hello.

Good bye.

I love you.

Its all in how you say it! Pretty cool, huh?

I learned several other new words while I was

far away in the Pacific ocean, but that's the

one we used most often.

I almost said it to the guy at the burger place last night.

It made me laugh.

So, we're back.

It was an amazing trip.

I'm already looking forward to the day we go back.

Some day.

Probably far in the future.

But some day!

I am disappointed to report that I didn't

visit a single quilt shop while I was away.

I found a few on google, but

they were usually too far away and on a day

we didn't have a rental car.

Total bummer.

But I did find these quilt squares

at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

And here is a pillow in the same display

Very pretty.

But since I didn't find a LQS to visit, I'm going to

have to find some hawaiin fabric online

and design a quilt as a remembrance of our trip.

Here is a pic of dh and I

And here are a few more misc shots

This is me and the kids at Volcanoes National Park

This is hubby, kids and grandma and grandpa

at Waimea Canyon

Hubby, our kids and our niece and nephew

on Waikiki Beach the afternoon of our arrival

Us and the boy at dinner one night

LOL! This is Allie and I kayaking in Kauai.

Hope you enjoyed just a brief peek at our amazing vacation.

Now that I am home, I can get back into my quilting!
What should get done first is running through my mind.

I have at least 5-7 quilts worth of fabric down in the Cave.

And 3 of those need done before christmas.

But, I'm still trying to recover from the trip.

And the sheer amount of laundry that needs to be done

is SCARY!

I'm sure I'll be working on something soon, tho :)

I'll keep you updated!

Santa Sack Swap for Jen

I heard a rumor that Jen recieved her Santa Sack and loved it,

so now I can post pics of it!

I decided on a grocery bag to hold Jen's goodies, so that it will

be reusable when the swap is over.

This is the outside.

I couldn't get those darn pinwheels to look perfect

but its pretty close!

To make it usable all year, I made it reversible:

As a little added touch, I made a matching luggage tag

as the to/from:

Jen, I'm so glad you liked it, I had alot of fun

making it.

Santa Sack Swap

My package from Jen arrived today

with my July Santa Sack gifts.

How fun!

I couldn't wait to open it!

Of course, I only got to open the sack.

But it is so cool!

Jen, its beautiful, thank you so much!

And because Allie pouted over me telling her to hold it up high,

you also get this photo:

But you only get that photo after this one:

Now I'm going to go squish and play with put the other package in the sack and put it in my sewing room.

PS~

Hey Jen!
I mailed your package yesterday, so hopefully it will arrive tomorrow!

Waiting for Spring

Spring was a long time coming, wasn't it?

It seemed like it to me.

In January, I joined QuiltDad's Block A Palooza Quilt Along.

It was my first and I didn't put much thought into it

beyond, oh, this sounds fun! LOL

After a few weeks, I really wasn't liking what I could see the final product turning out to be.

So I stopped and set it aside for awhile.

Eventually, I redesigned the quilt into something I did like

and got back to work on it.

I finished it and sent it off to the quilters,

with a bit of trepidation.

I let Allie pick out the thread color, as it was going on her bed,

and she picked pink.

Since the center design block is white, I was more then a little worried

about how the pink thread was going to look.

But, we picked it up from the quilter yesterday and I love it.

The pink was a perfect choice and the quilting itself is wonderful.

Imagine my surprise when I was checking it out and realized I had

messed up one of the rows! Eeeekkkkkkk!

The blocks were supposed to alternate.

But when I attached the top row, I accidently flipped the row and ended up

with matching blocks in the corners. Nothing I can do about it now.

 Ohhhh, but I am upset with myself.

Anyway,

Here you go.

Waiting for Spring.

Quilt #7 of 11 in '11.

Celtic Fling

I haven't posted all month!
Sorry!

And now, I literally have minutes before we walk out the door again.

I have wanted to post, but haven't

had pics to back anything up.

And I hate that!

I looked today and I still don't have pics

of most of my Hawaii sewing.

But I do have pics of something....

Hubby and I are big into Rennaissance Faires and stuff like that.

So, over the weekend we went to a Celtic festival in PA.

And I needed something new to wear.

Of course! LOL

I made this last week before we went camping.

Kilt and bodice.

Lots of pleats, but I love how it turned out.

One of the kilt vendors actually stopped me and asked if I had made it

and complimented me on such a good job!
Luckily, I had 2 pieces of blackwatch wool to make this,
as I couldn't find ANYTHING at the fabric stores.

In the meantime,

my first santa sack swap gift is ready to be mailed out.

My Hawaii sewing is almost done.

I have a quilt at the quilters ready to be picked up.

Oh!
I found another pic!
I made this a few weeks ago.

I love the ants! LOL Ok, I'll try to post more pics tomorrow!

Streak of Lightening!

Add another quilt to the done list!

After binding Midnight Dreams on Sunday,

I was really in the mood to quilt!

But I knew I couldn't start anything new.

(you know all about that darn Hawaii list!)

And the only thing I had going on quilting wise

was my son's quilt top.

Its been done since about March.

Soooo, I layered it and used my new basting spray/glue.

It worked really well, but it was messy.

Got on my pants and socks, ugh.

I'm hoping it'll come out in the wash.

But I really loved how easy it was to use.

Admittedly, this quilt doesn't have alot of quilting,

but I think its enough and I love how it turned out.

And Nick will be thrilled that its finally done!
This is a UFO from last year!

Close up:

Now, I'm a sad panda.

I have NOTHING started in the quilting arena.

And I really can't start anything until I get the other list done.

But I can dream and plan.

After seeing the new quilt on my bed, both teen's have

placed their order for one :)



Midnight Dreams

I am so excited and thrilled to present

my new quilt.

Its been a long time coming,

an even longer time being dreamed of.

Presenting.....

Midnight Dreams

Final dimensions ended up being

115"x105"

Here's a close up of the quilting

I picked it up from the quilter's yesterday

and put the binding on it this morning.

And, yes, it immediately went right to my bed :)

BTW-my hubby named it and I think its perfect :)

MIA?

In case you are wondering,

I'm still around.

Its been so hectic lately and I haven't done much sewing.

I finished a skirt that I wore today....

AND

the big news is

I PICKED MY KING SIZE UP FROM THE QUILTERS!!!

It looks amazing! I am so excited about it!

Binding either tomorrow, Monday or Tuesday and then I'll share.

For now, you just get to know that its home and almost done!

Friday Night Sew In

Friday Night Sew In Results

Last night I spent a few hours sewing.

And not even working on the list! Ooooopps!

But I was working on my mental list, so that makes it ok.

But, I made a sunglass case

Which I think is way too big,

and I'll make it smaller next time,

but it'll work.

Samantha thinks it looks like a calculator holder.

Dh says it looks like a barbie sleeping bag! LOL

and a small carry anything pouch.

I'm not thrilled with how the zipper turned out, but

that's probably because I didn't follow the directions exactly.

Oh well, it'll work.

I also got the extra blocks from the Quilt A Long picked out that I am going to use on the backing for my Waiting for Spring Quilt.

I cut the backing in half and got one piece of it ironed,

so hopefully I can finish it up tomorrow and get it to the quilter's soon. At this point, my king size should be almost done, so I may just wait until its ready before I drop this one off.

The LQS is not close, and with the price of gas, I hate to drive out there all the time.

The End is Coming

Really?
The Rapture is happening this Saturday?
I guess I should get ready!

Wait.....yeah, I'm probably not going.

I'm too skeptical of all of this talk.

But, that's not what I am here to chat about.

I've been sewing and sewing!
And dealing with a stubborn migraine that is not going away,

but that's beside the point.

Yesterday, I finished Allie's 4 layer skirt.

So cute!
She picked out the fabrics, and they came out beautifully together.

Of course, she had to wear it to school today.

And, here's her first quilt square.

I'm not going to say she is doing it all on her own,

cuz I seem to be doing an awful lot of pinning and all of the cutting.

And some of the ironing.

BUT she is doing almost all of the sewing.

I also started my new spring/summer purse yesterday.

Finished it today, so voila, here it is:

And, I finished a dress for Samantha. Maybe she'll try it on later and I can get a pic.

But, its one of those fabric's where the top is already smocked, so all you have to do is sew a seam down the back, hem it and its done.

An easy cross off on the list, so that makes me happy.

I have another one of those to do for Allie, I'm just waiting for her to get home so I know how big to make it.

My pace right now is one thing crossed off her day.

If I keep up this pace, I'll be done in a month! LOL

The FNSI is tomorrow night.

Are you signed up?
If not, check it out here.

Not sure yet what I will be working on, but you know my list is long, so I'll find something.

Messenger Bag

When we went out of town last month,

I stocked up on some quilting magazines.

Two 18 hour drives requires alot of reading material.

One of the magazines I picked up was this:

See the cute little bag in the top right?
That's on my to do list. Somewhere.

But, inside the magazine was a purse/messenger bag free pattern.

And, coincidentally, my oldest daughter has been asking me to make her a messenger bag.

She wants it for the Hawaii trip, as well as day trips where she needs a bit more room and an "over the shoulder/across the chest" strap for comfort.

I should have taken a pic of it on her, but I didn't.

Here is the outside.

The pattern was easy to read and came together very quickly.

I did make a few, small changes and learned some things along the way.

I added heavy duty interfacing to both sides of the bag body to help it hold its shape.

(Haha, what I learned was don't add that until AFTER you have forced the body through the handles to get the bag right side out!)

Cassidy also informed me that she had no intentions of using it reversible, as it was intended, so could I please add some pockets to the inside.

(would have been nice to know this BEFORE I sewed the bag together)

And, lastly, I added a zipper....I have no idea why someone would want a bag or purse that has no closure! Yikes, talk about theft waiting to happen.

Here is a pic of the inside:

And so, the first item has been checked off the Hawaii to do list.

After I finished this, I started Allie's 4 layer skirt.

But I promised myself I wouldn't post pics of anything until they are done.

I got all the layers sewn together, the zipper in and the hem done. All I need to do is add the yoke lining.

For now, I have eaten so I am going to take a migraine pill and go back to bed, in hopes that I can save this day from being headache hell.

Just as a btw, Allie has been working on her quilt the last few days.

I'll take a pic later and update you on her work!
So cool to see her working on a full size (well, twin, but you know what I mean!) quilt!

FNSI

The next Friday Night Sew In is here!
This Friday!

HA! Heidi put the sign ups up last week.

So, I thought it was for last Friday and I didn't sign up.

Imagine my surprise when I was on Bobbi's blog this morning

and she said it was this Friday!
Yeah! Sign me up!

Are you interested?

Here's the info:

I'll have to wait and see what I'll work on. You saw that "to do" pile yesterday!

But I made some good progress already!
I cut out the pattern and fabric for a skirt for Allie and a skirt for me.

Plus, I have Cassidy's messenger bag almost done.

If the girl hadn't asked for innner pocket's, I'd be finished already!

Today:
Volunteering in Nick's classroom this morning.

More laundry.

Finish the messenger bag.

Work on that quilt backing I need done.

Have a good day!



Before Hawaii

This is my pile of "before Hawaii" sewing.

Actually, I have some fat quarter projects that aren't in that stack.

Yikes!

I guess I should get started.

I'm afraid to even count the number of projects in that stack.

But, I've already made some progress.

I GOT MY SANTA SACK DONE!!!

For today, I want to go through that whole stack and list everything out.

Then, pick what I want to work on this week.

After that, I'd really like to start the week by deciding on and finishing the backing for my Waiting for Spring quilt, so I can get it to the quilter's.

Also on today's list:
laundry and a pedicure.

Dh has a softball game tonight, but I'm guessing we'll be rained out.

I'm hoping for an easy, sewing-full week :)

Waiting for Spring

Have you ever done a Quilt-a-long?
I joined the Block A Palooza quilt a long back in January.

I'd never done one before and it sounded fun.

Make 2 blocks a week for 8 weeks, add some finishing touches and voila,

a whole quilt top, done.

Except it was a sampler.

Which I guess if I had thought about, I should have known.

And that's not my style.

At all.

So, I did the first 6 blocks.

I liked them all.

Just not together.

But I had all this fabric.

That I wasn't sure I would love when I ordered it,

but I did.

Sunkissed is beautiful!

I needed to come up with another idea.

I decided to take the basic idea from the quilt a long and make it my own.

I designed 2 quilt blocks to make the border.

Then I copied the center panel.

As my dh says, totally  not my style,

but it turned out cute.

I finished the quilt top yesterday.

Now I have to do the backing.

I am thinking of incorporating those extra blocks that I made.

Not quite sure yet.

I'd like to get the backing done soon so I can get this dropped off at the quilters next week.

In the meantime,

wanna sneak peak?

And here's part of the center panel.

In terms of 11 in '11, I am almost half way done.

I have the king size (I really need to name that baby!) at the quilters now.

It is #5.

Waiting for Spring is just about ready to be dropped off.

Its #6.

Nick's quilt, Lightening Strikes, still needs to be quilted.

That is on the docket to be done as soon as I get all the Hawaii sewing done.

It'll be #7. (I bought some batting spray, at a fellow quilters suggestion, that I want to use on this, so I'm anxious to see how it works!)



Santa Sack Swap

So, I joined Cheryl's Santa Sack Swap

about a month ago.

You can check out the details here.

Its going to be fun and I've been anxious for it to start.

I've already been planning in my mind what to get my partner.

Partners were assigned last night.

(Or this morning.

Cheryl is in Australia, so I have no idea what her night and morning are,

compared to mine! LOL)

But my partner is Jen. From Miss Punkie Pie!

I've been following her blog for months.

I don't even remember where I came across it,

but somewhere.

And she's FUN! So, I started stalking following her.

Her style is very similiar to mine.

She's fun and funny.

I enjoy her blog and I LOVE that

her and I like alot of the same things!

So, cheers to a perfect swap partner!
I'm really looking forward to getting to know you Jen!