The Hop, Skip and a Jump Maternity Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

The Hop, Skip and a Jump Maternity Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!
Do check it out - its ADORABLE!

Blocks Galore!

Every spare moment I can find is usually spent in my sewing space; I even run home on my lunch break (2 minute drive) and sew for 30 minutes. I'm determined to complete all 8 of my UFO's by Dec 31st.... it would just be great to have my plate clean and move on to making items for the nursery and what-not.

So... I felt inspired to dig in and start sewing wonky blocks out of my scraps left over from this quilt. As you can see, I've completed two so far... which is good for me! I think I OVER-THINK the process... and need to go with whatever placement comes to mind. These blocks are going to turn into a baby quilt/stroller quilt for my Etsy shop, so no pressure, right? Right! So I'll just whip them out and move on.

I've also decided to learn a few new designs thanks to Alyssa and the girls over at Block Party! Quilting. Not only are they graciously teaching us new blocks, but they're writing a book in the process! And they could be using our little ol' photos too! This first one is a Friendship Star, which I've never made before, but I think I like it! I chopped into my Kei Honeycomb stash, but I'm happy to do so! I love how it turned out! Everyone's blocks are also here on Flickr - if you want to see more! I usually am not drawn to 'traditional' style quilts, but this star is growing on me! I haven't decided yet, but my month for the Sew New to Me VQB is January... and stars could be the ticket! Or hexagons, or strip blocks, or something a la Denyse Schmidt or or or~

My spree of procrastination has officially ended as I started quilting the Big Vintage Quilt last night. Just some basic straight stitching diagonally thru each Log Cabin, but BOY is it a bear to move around! Its quite heavy, and the blocks aren't exactly precise so I have to be extra careful to follow the correct line. If I'm diligent this weekend, I could see it ready for binding by Sunday night! Can I do it? Three days will tell!

wordless wednesday

21 Weeks... + first nursery goody + progress

21 weeks = half way there, right? I suppose that's almost 5 months!
I'm not fond of this photos, even after taking a dozen and not liking any of them. Weird light, plus my weird curly hair day - which looks MUCH better straight, I promise. Chopped off a good 4 inches last week. What was I thinking? Meh.

On a better note, the above Owl print from YumiYumi on Etsy is officially mine, size 11" x 14" and I love it! It will be framed in clear glass and hanging in the nursery.... um, soon! Its got all my favorite colors: teal, orangey-red, grey, brown, and green. I think it might go above the dresser/changing area. Its printed on a white background which you obviously cannot see, but check out the link - its gorgeous!

And I AM making progress on my UFOs!!! The Zippy Cars quilt is done, the orange birdie receiving blanket is done... and I'm making progress on the Ohio Sky quilt, and last night just started the orange & grey wonky baby quilt top. I need to START quilting the big vintage log-cabin quilt soon... maybe even tonight. I think I'm going to play it safe and go with straight stitching to quilt it. I cannot see this quilt fitting thru the small opening of my sewing machine, all rolled up, and me being able to move it much for free-motion quilting. I see a big headache.
So - safe is the way I'm going. Nothing wrong with that, eh?

What have you been up to? Any UFOs recently completed???
If not, what are you waiting for?! Off you go!

Zippy Cars Baby Quilt Finished!

Baby Rylan arrived about a month early and this quilt was on my "must finish" list to begin with... so his early arrival really motivated to kick it into high gear! The mom, Jenny, went fabric shopping with me at Sew To Speak and she chose these lovely Japanese Prints and polka dots for her new little boy. I added a light tan Kona Cotton to supplement and I love how it turned out! We got our inspiration from Ashley over at Film in the Fridge and her gorgeous "Sea" Gull quilt.

This print is from Heather Ross (for Kokka) from the Rabbits and Race-Cars line. It's apparently hard to find (online) as I've looked for a good link to anyone who sells it, but couldn't find one for this exact print. I love the little zippy cars racing around - great for a little boy!

The square Cars & Trucks print is also by Kokka... and the blue dots matched the squares really well... and I also used it for the binding.

Free-motion quilted, all washed and dried...
Finished size is about 48" square, which I think is rather large for a baby quilt but then again, I have zero experience thus far. I think it would make an excellent play mat though.

Oh the back... I do love the back. Jenny decided to go with a bright polka dot Flannel by Valori Wells and I'd say she made a great choice! I added a bit of the Kokka since the flannel wasn't quite wide enough... thats probably my favorite part~

Its been sunny here all week, which I think is quite odd for November... so these photos are almost summer-like. I'm sure we'll get a blizzard next week or something to make up for it :-)

Jenny asked me to make a special tag to include Rylan's name, DOB, and arrival stats so I whipped one up with linen tape and a black fabric marker. I wish I had better (aka fancy or unique or fun) handwriting skills but my plain 'ol printing will have to do. Do you like my bootleg editing to blur out a few things for identity protection sake? I kind of enjoyed it, don't know why.


And last but not least, I had to practice my free-motion quilting on something so I grabbed my favorite boyish fabric (Seagulls, by Alexader Henry,) sandwiched it, and quilted away... and I think I'll keep it as a stroller quilt for our son this spring... I particularly enjoy the Neo Geo dots binding. I think it just makes it fun and unusual. Its size is about 18"x 22". My first finished hand-made item to keep for our kid, yay!

How is your weekend going? Ours is defiantly busy, but in a good way. I'm hoping to continue the progress on the Ohio Sky quilt, maybe even get as far as starting to quilt it! We'll see!

Flickr Thursday {Favorite Quilts 2}

I couldn't wait until Friday! Sorry~

1. verdure alla primavera, 2. 'embracing fall' top , 3. modern munki munki martian quilt, 4. November APOWB for Me!, 5. framed quilt!, 6. "The Big Blue Zipper" - Explored, 7. Fall Top, 8. Tessellation Quilts, 9. kelly's neptune spiderweb, 10. by small means quilt front, 11. Urban Amish, 12. City Blocks front

One... or Both!

I'm almost thinking I'll add BOTH of these designs to my nursery fabric stash (more info in my last post)... the Lizzy House Woods would be my "large" print, and the Flower Child (2nd one) could be great for binding on the quilt... and maybe a stuffed animal or two. Its not a large print (from what I can tell without seeing it in person) but still modern and bright. Yeah; might have to grab both of these, then I can start my extensive to-do list. Oh, one is already done, a stroller quilt! I used it to "practice" my free-motion quilting, sneaky eh? I'll take some photos soon.

So... if for any reason you see why these two additional fabrics should NOT be purchased, speak now or forever hold your peace.

"Lock Up Your Daughters" We're having....

A Boy! I suspected a boy for the past 4 months, but now that its actually true, I'm still getting used to the idea! I always pictured myself with a girl, but now I'm thinking a boy will be fun too!
The above t-shirt was given to me last night by my SIL, Auntie Jess - too cute eh? It will hopefully fit him next fall/winter, its a 6-12 mo size. We made the announcement to our family last night at the annual Bonfire - and everyone seems to be pleased with a boy... although they're just pleased in general with all the babies that have been and will be added to our family. Great Grandpa and Grandpa didn't seem too upset about the news :-)

Here's one of the 3D ultrasound pics taken on 10/27 at 18 weeks... he already looks like Justin to me! Crazy!

(Amy Butler's Full Moon Polka Dots, Erin McMorris' Park Slope, Joel Dewberry's Aviary, Heather Ross's Lightening Bugs)

Last but not least - my Final Answer on the fabric conundrum! Well, mostly. I'm definitely going with these four prints.... I love them all and I can't wait to start the crib size quilt, and about 2 dozen other sewing projects I have in mind for baby. BUT Cheryl over at The Naptime Quilter made a suggestion about adding a larger scale print - which I really think is a good idea. I have nothing in mind - so if you know of any larger prints that would add to this selection, don't hesitate to comment here or email me! I'm open for suggestions!!! Birds... owls... graphic prints - something!? Modern, Fun, and Neutral are my only goals here!

Cozy Baby Hats - Quick Whip-ups!

I've been dying to crochet some fun little baby hats, and by george, here they are! I'm NO good at crocheting a standard round headed hat, so these are somewhat different: they're SO simple, I just crocheted a Rectangle, about 7" wide until it was long enough to fold over and fit on a baby's head. When folded in half, stitch up each side, turn right side out, and there's a fun little hat with pointy corners! I added the little braids for a girl, and pom poms - because they're cute on any baby!

I made these two little baby hats recently... the orange one (roughly 3 mo old size) is going to my friend Amanda's little girl, Janele... and the yellow one I might keep for my little one, to keep warm this coming spring... since its slightly smaller than the orange one, and about newborn size, I would think.

I may have to whip up a few more! They're so fun and quick to make while watching tv or traveling in the car... or sitting at the Dr. office... or wherever else your hands are free and time that can be killed.

Happy weekend to all! Tonight we announce the baby's gender to our family, and tomorrow you all will know too :-) Even my fabric choice for the nursery... stay tuned!

19 Weeks and Counting

Yesterday, at 19 weeks! Maybe a little bigger than 17 weeks? Maybe. We do know the gender... and I'll post a few 3D ultrasound pics on Saturday, AFTER we tell our family this Friday and the annual Wilson Bonfire. In the last few days I've felt a few little kicks, which is so amazing to me!

+Two Note-Worthy Events+

{One}
How many Unfinished Objects (UFO's) do you have laying around your sewing room? Thanks to Jacquie over at Tallgrass Prairie Studio, we now have some major motivation to get those projects done! Not only will you FINISH all those quilt tops and projects but you could win a fun prize to boot! Click on over to her challenge and get those UFO's done... and breathe easy again!
I've counted my UFO's and I have.... 8 that I want to admit to, and not all are quilts... but all are in various stages of completion:
Baby Boy Quilt - Rylan Andrew arrived Saturday (10/31), a month early!

Vintage Goodness Quilt
Ohio Sky Quilt top:
Yet-to-be-named quilt for my living room:
Crochet Granny Square baby afghan:
A few dozen cloth baby wipes (not necessary until March but hey, why procrastinate?)
Flannel Receiving Blanket for baby, again, why procrastinate? I hope this kid likes orange!
Wonky baby quilt for my Etsy shop:
So thats EIGHT! I've got a lot of work to do between now and January 1st, but I look forward to it, and to seeing everyone's progress on their UFO's... clear sewing spaces, here we come!

{Two}
I've been a follower of the Block Party! Blog for sometime now... and Alissa & Kristen have some great news! They are not only turning their blog into the Block Party Quilt Along but its going to be a book too! Anyone can join this quilt along, and your block could be featured in the book!

For the big kickoff they're having a giveaway! Here's a drool-worthy photo of one of the two prizes:
So run over there and check it out! I'm ready to learn some new block designs and see what everyone else is coming up with as well, in their Flickr pool! A very cool endeavor to be sure!

Vintage Goodness WIP

My husband has been fortunate enough to have known (at least) 3 of his GREATgrandparents. I also got to meet them, which was amazing! They have all passed away in recent years but Great Grandma Wilson left this wonderful log cabin quilt top and I was lucky enough to snag it and finish it. I'm thinking it will be a Christmas gift, but I cannot say for whom lest they read my blog :-) Wouldn't want to spoil the surprise for said recipients.

But about this quilt top: Its machine pieced from what I can tell... with a mixture of polyester, cotton, and linen prints, possibly saved up over the years. I have no clue when it was put together or how long it took. I need to find out those details so I can make a proper label for it giving credit to Great Grandma for her hard work. I adore bamboo batting so thats what I'm using, and its backed with 6 yards of Joel Dewberry Chestnut Hill fabric. I thought the dark blues would go well together. Just finished (spray) basting it last night and I haven't decided yet if I will stipple or straight line quilt this monster.... its about 95" x 100" which is HUGE to me. Stippling will take me forever, but I think will help interlock all those seams, some of which are starting to come apart. Right now, that's the direction I see this quilt going.

My poor little Janome is in the shop getting its annual physical and cleaning. I'm so lost without it! I guess it gives me time to straighten up my sewing stuff, and move all my fabric to my new sewing area. I think I'll start working on that tonight. I have a stack of cut fabric waiting to be turned into a baby boy quilt... and a few other stacks of fabric waiting to ALSO be turned into small quilts... I'm thinking some wonky quilts! I just sold my last quilt yesterday on Etsy so I need to restock to boot!

How is your list of Christmas-gifts-to-make coming along? I've got ONE gift finished (needs a label) and atleast 2 others in the works. I feel good about it this year, as last year I didn't give myself as much time to get everything done. Do tell...

Ohio Sky Quilt Top

This was quite the process to cut, sew, cut again, square up, layout, sew, iron, pin, sew, iron... BUT I'm loving how it looks now! After seeing some AMAZING quilts by Ryan and Rita I thought I might like to try a Half Square Triangle quilt as I just happened to have a stack of 5" Amy Butler squares laying around. The name of this colorway is "Ohio Sky" and its fitting since I live in Ohio... and a few days out of the year, usually in summer, the sky is this light-aqua-ish blue. Thus, I'm naming it "Ohio Sky."

Taping a quilt top to the sliding glass door not only gives me a nice well-lit spot to take few shots, it makes for a nice silhouette of the seams... here's one of my favorites from Flickr.




Right now it measures about 41" square, which isn't quite big enough for the lap quilt I'm hoping for. So, I'll be adding sashing for sure, its just a matter of what KIND. The economical me says go with the solid Kona cotton while the perfectionist me says go with 1... or even 4 different prints to increase its size. What would you do? Or maybe a layer of Kona and a layer of print? This is slotted to be a Christmas gift so I've still got plenty of time to waiver back and forth.

Today I spent a good amount of time cutting fabric to create a baby boy quilt for my friend Jenny... she chose 3 fun prints, 2 of which are Heather Ross, so I think its going to turn out great no matter what happens. I plan on piecing the whole top tomorrow so I can take my sewing machine in for a yearly tune-up this week and have it back in time to quilt and bind it before her new baby arrives in mid-November. The repair shop said a week for the tune-up, which sounds like an eternity! How will I ever survive? Maybe a little trip to Joanns to choose some yarn for a crocheted baby blanket... since we'll know the gender on Monday!!! Girl, or boy, it'll take me an hour to choose that yarn!

Happy weekend... man today FLEW by! Maybe Sunday will slow down a bit for us. Cheers!

My New Sewing Space

(Birds in Window from ShaNickers on Etsy)

I really love my new sewing space in the basement! I'll also get to spend more time with Justin since our office is in the same room. I'm sure he'll get used to the hum of my sewing machine.
Fabric is still upstairs but will be moved to these shelves in the corner soon... making room for baby!

Now Showing...

... a belly! Well, at least a little bit! I'm 17 weeks along, and finally starting to look slightly pregnant. (Dang that pants don't do anything for me though!) I've been procrastinating on taking profile pics because I just haven't felt pregnant, and certainly not enough to take a photo. Now that I'm *almost* half way there, I guess its about time. Hazel seems to think I'm interesting, haha~

On a much more exciting note, next Monday we'll find out the gender of baby! Some think that it's boring and lame (even "bland") to find out the gender ahead of time, but I am SO EXCITED to learn if we're going to have a daughter or a son.. I just can't wait another 22 weeks! Then I can decide if I should go with my gut instinct, or my usual obsession. I tend to think one is more feminine than the other... although both gender neutral.

On a non-baby note, I'm almost done putting together my Half Square Triangle quilt! (A more creative name yet to be decided.) After I get done watching the latest episode of Desperate Housewives, its off to the basement to get-R-done! Pics to follow!

What exciting things are going on in your life? Sewing or otherwise? New shoes... new fall jacket... master that pumpkin recipe? Do share!

Today is...

...my Birthday! And this lovely *just cut* fabric is going to be OUR quilt! Every 29 year old quilter needs her own quilt, right? To have and to hold, and to live on our couch... to cozy up under for the winter... and to admire its crinkly goodness. Yes, it's not much yet, but as soon as my sewing schedule lightens up, this baby is next! I'm following the lovely directions of Dana from Old Red Barn Co. and the Quilt-Along (directions start here) she held back in May/June. A tad late, but who cares.

*Sew New to Me* Virtual Quilting Bee

I was recently invited to be part of a Virtual Quilting Bee... and I was so honored! Its called the "Sew New to Me VQB" and I just finished my first blocks for Heather, who has October. I've NEVER made a wonky log cabin block before, but I'm in love! Really fun to make, and turned out just fine:


This VQB is going to force me to stretch, shape, and refine my quilting muscles. I've got a million different quilts I'd LOVE to make, but alas, time never seems to permit. This quilting bee will allow me to learn different styles and designs, with just 1 or 2 blocks, instead of stressing over an entire quilt! Great idea, and I can't wait to see what November's block will bring. I am assigned to January (enough time before baby arrives) so I've been researching ideas and tutorials... here are a few links that I've found inspiring:

Sew Connected Quilting Group on Flickr

Quilting Bees 101 -- Block Tutorials & Examples

Be careful! The hours could slip by as you peruse these links!

Bloggers' Quilt Festival - Fall 2009

Thanks to Amy of Park City Girl for hosting the Fall 2009 Bloggers' Quilt Festival! I've never been to a real live quilt festival but I hope to some day. Until then, this is the next best thing for sure! At this moment, I'm the 546th Quilt Entry, QUITE the collection! *Go* check out the other 545 quilts featured - you won't be disappointed!

My entry is this Amy Butler baby quilt I made this past spring for our friends that had a baby girl in July. Little Macey Autumn is now 3 months old and thoroughly enjoying her new quilt, I'm told.
My favorite part is the straight quilting, I think. It took a good bit of time, but well worth it, in my opinion! I learned a lot by creating this quilt... as it was just free style - no pattern, no directions... I just went for it.

Friday Night Sewing =

a fun new bag for my new friend, Jenny~


She picked out this gorgeous Amy Butler and Anna Maria Horner fabric and I used my go-to pattern from Portabellopixie. Even had some fabric left over to make a little zipper pouch to stash makeup, or other odds and ends. Jenny is also pregnant, due in about a month! Besides this bag, she's commissioned me to make a baby quilt for her new arrival, which is next on my list to start! She chose some really cool boy prints from Heather Ross, which I will have to show you soon. I think her quilt will be somewhere between this design, and this design. Once I start chopping up that fabric, there's no going back!

So what did you work on this past weekend? Start, finish, or a WIP? I've got WAY to many WIPs... not enough that are even CLOSE to being finished. Sew this is my life...

Flickr Friday {Favorite Quilts}

{Links can be found here}
Enjoy.... and Enjoy your weekend! I know I will!