Hello World! And a Quilt!

Hello World!

Generic, huh? Yeah, I know. It seems like I keep hitting the repeat button super busy these days. I have started homeschooling my 3 school-aged children.

Would you believe I started that post March 20th? Sadly, I did, and I haven't been back. Like I mentioned already, I've been super busy. The Kids homeschooled all last semester, we started softball with J which took up 4-5 days a week for practice and ball games. Things have just started to settle down now, thankfully, just in time for school to start back at the end of the month. I still have to order curriculum for the girls and figure out a routine of some sorts to keep us all sane. I'm looking forward to it, though.

That's my update, now it's time for the good stuff, right? I FINALLY finished a quilt! This quilt was requested by L. She outgrew her original quilt (toddler sized). She picked out the design and the fabrics and all I did was assemble and quilt it. The pattern came from Ann Kelle's Christmas Trees Quilt. The fabrics were a pink bundle I bought from an online store (can't remember....been too long) and the backing fabrics came from my dear friend Jackie (jmmaxman - love you).

Front

Back

Binding

I have never done a pieced back quite like this before and I'm SO happy that I did it. I LOVE it so much!! If it wasn't for my little girl, I'd probably keep it for myself. Lol! So, here's to hoping my mojo is back and I can continue on with blogging and quilting. Oh, and if you see my sanity....send it back to me, k? Thanks!

P.S. Here's my little helper today while taking pics...can't believe he's 10 month's old already!

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Diamond Chevron Quilt Top

I have a finished quilt top to share. I participated in Kristen's QAL at KD-Quilts using her pattern Diamond Chevrons. I made it with Tula Pink's Prince Charming fabric and Free Spirit solids. They were all a Designer Select Bundle over at FatQuarterShop. Seriously LOVE this quilt. I had sworn off HSTs after the quilt I did for J, but I enjoyed doing this one. Prep time took the longest, but the piecing didn't take long at all! I managed to do a row here and there in between caring for my spoiled sweet baby boy and before I knew it, it was done.

I ended up adding a row to the top and 2 rows to the bottom because I wanted a little extra length. I'm still trying to decide what to use as a back for this one, but I can't wait to get it quilted to cuddle up under. 

I also posted this in the Tula Pink Sew Along Flikr group. I have to say that, sadly, this is the first time I had used Tula Pink. Lets just say I'm hooked! I still have a bunch of 4" squares and plan on creating another quilt top with it. Wonder what I'll do with them? Any ideas?

What's Up? (Picture Heavy)

This is me:

I deliberately hid my face because it is so swollen and I look pitiful. This was actually taken a week ago. I'm currently 31 weeks. I'm miserable and not really fun to be around right now. Lately I haven't really been spending time at my sewing machine, either. However, I do have some stuff to show you that I've done over the last few months. I could separate these out into additional blog posts, but just the thought makes me need to go take a nap. So, here goes:

First, I want to show you the last full quilt I finished. This one I finished in May for my mother. It features Java by Deb Strain. It is almost the size of a queen, but not quite. It was huge! Also, it is the largest I have quilted on my little home machine.

Front

Back

After I had finished this quilt, with many many tears involved I swore off quilt sandwiches until after baby K is born. Here are two quilt tops I have finished:

D9P featuring Fandago by Kate Spain

New Wave Pattern by Oh Fransson! Featuring Terrain by Kate Spain

Also, I've been doing a bit of sewing for the baby:

Burp Cloths

Bassinet Skirt

Nursing Cover

So, that's pretty much been what I've been up to since my last blog post. Most of these pictures were taken with my iphone on instagram, so they aren't the best quality. I apologize, but I just do not have the energy to dig out my good camera and stage fancy photos as I normally would. :)

Until next time (whenever that may be)... happy sewing and quilting!!

First Finish of 2012

I realize it has been almost 2 months since I've last blogged. I'm still dealing with family changes, but I'm starting to get back into my routine again. Thanks to some nudging from my mother, I have managed to complete my first quilt of 2012! I started this quilt many months ago, but was burned out (3rd quilt with Sherbet Pips in a row). This quilt is for my middle H's twin size bed.

I ended up doing many changes to my original idea. Originally was going to do the back solid instead of pieced. This was my first attempt at a pieced back. I was not happy with it, but I continued on. After getting the quilting done on it I'm very pleased with how it turned out. Another change I made was going with  pieced binding vs solid, darker blue. I think this makes it so much more girly, too.

Next quilt up is a Java quilt for my mother! She "says" that once I finish that one for her I get to borrow her New Home 9000 Embroidery machine. Yippee!

Sneak Peak

I wanted to give all of you a little sneak peak of what I'm working on. It's almost done, too. I'm working on piecing the back as we speak. I'm hoping to have it completed this weekend, but not holding my breathe.

Did you notice it's Sherbet Pips by Aneela Hoey? This is my 3rd quilt with Pips. Why, you ask? While I do love this fabric, it was more so to unify and avoid favoritism between my 3 girls. Each girl has their own quilt made with Pips, but different designs. I love this fabric line for my children. It's so playful and innocent looking. When I started thinking of making quilts for my kids, this was the fabric that instantly come to mind! How could it get any more perfect than that?


Happy Quilting!