Sneak Peak!

Newly attached and ready to be hand-stitched to the back.... a finished baby quilt soon!

This fabric is by Iota, collection is Flower Child, and this design is Honeycomb in Creamsicle.

And the Winner is....

Heather! Random.org chose #50 and thats you! I've sent you an email with details.
Thanks to all 112 of you who commented! That's an all-time record for me!

If you'd like to see all 16 of those green & grey bee blocks laid out together, check out yesterday's post here.... and tomorrow I have a Sneak Peek to share!

Last but Not Least & All Spread Out

Just a quick show-and-tell...

Here's my final block... it arrived save and sound, from SophiaAster! Isn't it lovely? I particularly adore the 9-patch blocks - they're just fun to gaze upon~


Lisa also snuck this piece of Green Pairs fabric in my package - I've drooled over this print for long enough! Thanks so much Lisa - you're too kind!

Finally, here are all 16 blocks that my SNTM VQB-ers made... this is by no means the FINAL layout... it just something to see how they all work together, and I love EACH block! I think I'll square up each one with gray Kona (light or dark grey? who knows!) stitch them together and VOILA! This is my project to finish before baby arrives. I'll have (hypothetically speaking) about 2 weeks of down time before my due date as my last day of full-time work is March 16th!
I plan to do lots of sewing, quilting, cleaning, arranging, laundry... crocheting... sleeping... and probably a bit of worrying too. For good measure.

1 Year Blogaversary = Giveaway!

COMMENTS NOW CLOSED - THANKS!

Dear Readers,
Exactly one year ago today, I started this piddly little blog called "Sew This Is My Life." I've been sharing my quilting and sewing endeavors, fabric stash additions, ideas, thoughts, bits and pieces of every day life, one yummy pizza recipe, and lots of photos of Hazel! And more recently... a growing belly, and nursery goodies!

I've received so many wonderful emails and comments from you, encouragement, ideas, suggestions, and I've made some great friends! I don't have many local friends who are into sewing so having this online community has really been a life-changer for me! So to all 144 followers, and almost 30,000 visitors... THANK YOU! You inspire me in ways I never thought possible! Its been a great year and I look forward to more fun in the future!

NOW on to the good part ~ if you've visited my blog in the last few weeks, you'll have noticed quite a few green & gray blocks popping up... here's one such example. I had the month of January in the Sew New to Me VQB on Flickr and had my girls sew up these blocks! Well, I have an abundance of fabric left over (PLENTY to piece the back too!) so I thought "Hey, why not make up a little packet for my 1 year blogaversary!" So here it is - about .75 yards worth of green & gray goodness....

I think I've tossed in almost every print, plus the 4 solids. Everything from Hope Valley, to Full Moon PolkaDots, to Heather Bailey... Kona... and the uber-adorable Grey Elephants all the way from Japan. You could make some string blocks, a log-cabin stroller quilt, coin pouches... whatever your heart desires. Or just add to your stash if you're low on green & gray!

To enter just leave a comment with your location & all-time favorite color combination, and be sure to include an email address so I can contact you should I pull your name.

I'll start: I'm Cristin from Columbus, Ohio... and my favorite color combo is green & gray! Obviously.

Good luck! I'll leave comments open until this Sunday evening (2/7/10) and announce the winner on Monday morning! Now, off you go!

32 Weeks and Tomorrow...

And all is well! Yesterday was the final ultrasound and baby boy measured right on target, currently 3lbs 14 ounces.... so he's still baking away and I have some major sewing to do! This weekend - I'm grounded to my sewing room! Really! I'm quite excited about it.... I have such plans running through my head! I think a softie (aka stuffed animal) is a *must sew* item as it should be a quick finish and I'll feel accomplished. It will be very basic, as it will be my first softie but I have to start somewhere. Right? Right!!

~And~
tomorrow is my One Year Blog Anniversary which means a GIVEAWAY! Yup, this is a sneak peek! Stop by tomorrow evening and find out more...

WIP: Baby Quilt Side B + more VQB Blocks!

Yesterday I worked on Side "B" of baby's quilt... and finished 6 rectangular blocks, varying in height, and width. It's taken me a few evenings but I like how they've turned out!





... and I've been thinking about how to lay them out, and with what sort of background? I haven't completely ruled out flannel, as that would make it quite cozy for baby... and I fooled with the below layout, using surrounding fabric that matches the inside of each block - which I also like:


I also thought about laying it out on the diagonal, from top left to bottom right corner... since Side A is very straight and linear. I'm sure my explanation is vague so I need to lay that out to see if it strikes my fancy. I hope to have this quilt finished in the next couple of weeks! Yay!!! I guess I've only got about 8 weeks LEFT to piddle-jack around - eeek!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * ** * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And I've gotten another batch of blocks in from my girls in the Sew New to Me VQB!

from twinfibers

above and below from MammaMary2

from Gretchen891

from SewDeerlyLoved

There is such creativity and genius in this group - and I'm so honored to be a part of this bee! Each and every block is fabulous - and I know this quilt will be in my family for ages! Thanks to all you fabulous ladies! I'll be laying them all out together and see what my finished quilt will look like - great motivation if I've ever seen any! Pics coming soon... stay tuned!

The Crib Quilt - Side "A"

Just a couple quick shots of the beginning of our own baby's crib quilt - let's call it side "A." I'll be piecing some blocks for side "B" which will make it reversible... no front or back per se. Quilting decisions are hard for me, obviously, so I like to keep my options open, and in this case, have two quilts in one. Nothing wrong with that, is there? Hmm...

Fabric:
Joel Dewberry - Aviary in Green Woodgrain
Lizzy House - Red Letter Day - Woods
Erin McMorris - Park Slope - Birds in Teal
Heather Ross - Lightning Bugs in Orange
Amy Butler - Lotus - Full Moon Polka Dots in Cherry

Now - how to QUILT this yumminess is the real question. Pebbles, stippling... time will tell!
If you have any suggestions - do tell! AND I need a NAME for this quilt - ideas? Anyone? Buehler... Buehler? Otherwise, it will probably remain "Baby's Crib Quilt." ~hehe~

*Ohio Sky Quilt* Detailed + Bee Blocks

This is the Ohio Sky quilt I've been talking about... for what seems like forever! I think I started the half-square triangles back in September! It was quite a process but the outcome was worth it, and I learned a lot in the process... including that I HATE wide borders. I may or may not try using them again in the future. Ok, I probably will try again, but spray baste the HECK out of it. I had problems with the outer border shifting as I was quilting it.

But after washing it you can't really tell its not exactly perfect. I used simple straight line quilting along each seam, 1/4" on either side. It frames the Amy Butler prints quite nicely. These prints are a combination of her Midwest Modern and Midwest Modern 2 collections. Although, the binding is from her new Love collection, "Sunspots" in mint, I believe. Same color scheme, but dots that seemed to scream USE ME AS BINDING - so I did!

Finished size is about 60" x 67" perfect as a lap quilt. I believe its new home IS on a couch... at the MacClements' house... I hope they get years and years of use out of it!

And I just realized I didn't get a photo of the back of it. Really, its nothing special, except for the bottom right corner where about a 10" by 12" square blocks frames the label. The rest was made from a pale minty green Ikea twin bed sheet (Thanks Amandajean for that idea!) Next time I'll be sure to grab a FLAT sheet instead of fitted. Then the extra 10x12 square wouldn't be necessary in the first place. Anyhow - I've kicked myself enough. Lets move on:

AND more blocks have arrived in my mailbox from my fellow VQB sewists! This is going to be one phat quilt... phat, what an odd word. If its a word.

From Little Miss Shabby

From Katiejeanbags

from Fresh Lemons

above and below blocks From Kimwoolf

I have a few more blocks yet to receive then I can start playing with the layout! I want this quilt to be finished before baby arrives so I've got some work to do! But I look forward to it... because I'm keeping it for our bedroom! HaHA!

30 Weeks

Here's my belly profile today - at 30 weeks...
I'm still feeling well, just a bit uncomfortable at times. I'm sure that's due to the baby crowding out internal organs including my lungs. Other than that, couldn't be better!

We started taking Bradley Method Classes last week which will run for 9 weeks. We watched some videos (circa 1980's & 1990's) showing home births, water births, and the like. Graphic to boot but obviously we'll be in the same situation so its probably a good thing to see it now, um, especially for husband. I'm going to my first La Leche League meeting tonight to leach whatever info I can on nursing, and I've been reading The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding (7th Edition) and I'm starting to feel more confident and well-informed about breastfeeding. I highly recommend this book as it covers every single concern/question/problem/technique you could possibly think of. I feel like there is still a lot to prepare for... with only about 10 more weeks to go!

The crib quilt is coming along slowly but surely - I've got the 1st side half way pieced and hope to finish it this week. I'm also going to start figuring out curtains, and some cute bunting to string above the crib. And I HAVE to mention the fun clock I found that's perfect for the nursery.... and I'm lucky to have a C&B just a few miles away. I figure it could also find a home in the kitchen if necessary. Yes, I'm a sucker for green... ~sue me~

[Bee]-autiful Quilting Bee Blocks for *Suzanne*

Suzanne has the 1st month, January, and her theme is "Opposites Attract" which really interested me... which entails an intricate portion and a simple uncluttered portion for each block. We got to interpret these directions and come up with blocks that held both qualities.
Here's what I came up with:

Main Block:

This is a variation of a paper-pieced string block and I actually did NOT intend for there to be a 1/2" trim around it. I unfortunately did not allow enough length on a few of the strips and therefore had to ADD the sashing to make the block a full 12.5" square. I think it works, I hope you like it Suzanne!

Extra Block:

Suzanne asked that if we had time, to make a second block. Well due to my jam packed schedule and numerous friends calling to hang out with me, I had all day and most of this evening to complete her two blocks. Fooled ya. I paper-pieced this block as well, which really is easier to do with thin strips. I'm a pretty big fan, if you haven't yet read about my first experience making a string block. Suzanne - I hope these blocks fit into your theme, and I really enjoyed creating them for you!