Just Three from Tracey

I love this idea from Tracey and am totally copying her and linking up over here at her blog.  This is an awesome goal, and I think it'll be really successful for me. 

The idea is to set three reachable goals for April.  Tracey and I seem to have the same issue of wasting our kids synchronized naptimes and perusing online fabric shops, pinterest, facebook...those time traps.  Time that I could easily spend binding (my least favorite part...) unfinished quilts, sewing pieces together or just making progress on my way too many WIP's and up my rate of finishing things! Heck, today I had enough time to cut some fabric for a swap but...then I didn't.  So!

Here's my list of three things to get done in April:

1) Bind my Drunkard's Path quilt - This baby has been quilted and waiting patiently on top of the dryer for over a month...sad...and I'm so anxious to use it!  It's going to be a wonderful lap quilt.  Anyone have an opinion on these considerations for the binding?

 Ok, this is the best shot I could get.  My top pick is the second one, it's a light aqua polka dot.  The one under it isn't as red as it looks, more of a raspberry print.  What do you think?

2) Finish and mail my Hoop Up! Stitch and Send Swap projects - Don't have pictures of these yet, but they are in progress.  I've been working on them a little here, a little there and it's just too slow of a pace.  Plus, they need to be out by the middle of the month (end of next week?  what?) so they'll have to get done.

3) Bind Ben (Husband)'s quilt - I finished quilting this one over the weekend, but it's such a honker of a ginormous thing, that I'm nervous to trim the sides and just get it over with. Haven't picked binding fabric for that one either...


Anywho... these are pretty reachable goals for me if I can just bit the bullet and sit down to do them.  But I've got to start somewhere, right?  So, those are my three goals for the month, what are yours?!

Happy March!

I can't believe February is gone.  March will probably go even faster, there's a lot to do already!!

I suppose I did get some things done in February:

 HST block of the month from In Color Order

 Greek Cross

 Solstice Star Sampler from Fresh Lemons

 Granny Squares from Jolene's tutorial at Blue Elephant Stitches

 Finished 2 out of 3 baby blankets using granny squares

 2 Blocks for Avery

 Bee block for We Bee Modern February

 Sailboat blocks for do. Good Stitches Bliss circle

 Extra large granny square block (2) using Joelene's tutorial again and Fly A Kite fabric

 Books and Blocks bee February block

 Map blanket for my kids to mess with

 Picked fabric for a friend who's getting married in June.  It will be a Swoon!

Finally  put together my Drunkard's Path quilt and got about 1/4th through hand quilting.

I guess February was enough time to get a few things done.

Here are my plans for March:

-Bee blocks (1) We Bee Modern - I get to pick which one I want to make out of the book, so that will be fun, but which to pick!! (2) Books and Blocks bee - our leader has chosen Megan's star from the book, which is an awesome block.  I'm a little less excited about this one, just because it's just not my style of fabric choices, so this may be a bit of a challenge. (3) do. Good Stitches bliss circle - we get to make pink and orange wonky log cabin blocks, awesome as I have lots of pink and orange to choose from!  I haven't made wonky log cabins before either so I'm excited to learn.

-Finish quilting Drunkard's Path quilt

-Finish quilt from the Mr. - I've got almost all the blocks done and am really really hoping to have the top done this weekend

-Solstice stars and summer sample quilt - I have enough to make a top with and want to use the rest of my Woodlands fabrics to finish it.  Should be easy to put together once I finish a few other things first!

-Last baby quilt - bind, wash, and mail!

-Sew Cherry Quilt - I picked the background fabric and just need to cut it, and piece the back.  I'm going to use some Sarah Jane prints on the back and I think it will be cool enough to be reversible.  Really want to check that one off the list and start using it!

-HST Block of the month from In Color Order - Jeni's posted to tutorial for the March block and I'm hoping to get that done today with my Salt Air and Bella solids in white charm squares

-Swoon wedding quilt - fortunately my friend isn't getting married until June, but I'd like to get a couple blocks done for her quilt this month.

-In Law's wedding quilt - Start putting the virginia stars together that will make up the top.

-make a plan for another Wedding quilt 

Wish me luck!  I'll update soon.  

Monday once more!

Good morning friends!  I didn't get much sleep last night so I apologize for any incoherance.  Our little Lady Face doesn't seem to be feeling that terrific, and woke up a whole lotta times last night.  So we're going to snuggle on the couch and have a Buzz Lightyear movie marathon, poor girl. 

I did have a pretty productive weekend though!  Here's what went down.

Books and Blocks Bee Too: I was a little stumped at what to do for this.  The queen of February chose the book block on p. 126 and I wasn't sure what I had in my stash that would fit what she was looking for.  She wanted the block altered a bit so she could do her own sashing thing, so we left the strips off of the top and bottom making it 12.5x8.5, and wanted the spine to be white so we could all sign our names.  After a trip to Joann's for the fabric pen, I found the green Nicey Jane print that I used as background and then received the Japanese fabric in the mail with a bundle of Pezzy Prints (yay!) and thought that would be cute. 

I'm quite pleased with how it came out, even if the spine is a touch long...

Thanks to an almost blizzard (windstorm with some morning snow) we stayed home all day Saturday and that gave me time to put this together!

 I got the fabric from Hawthorne Threads, isn't it cute!  I'd been looking for something like this and couldn't find what I wanted.  This was it!! I tied it so it would go even faster, and because I wasn't sure what I would do to quilt it.  I didn't want to obstruct any of the gorgeous images on the fabric.

 The nice people at Hawthorne Threads cut it so nicely that I could immediately sandwich it together without having to cut it and none was cut off in binding either!  Truly an easy project.

The kids like it, and it is filled with all sorts of fun and educational things.  A win win for me!

I have also pulled out one WIP that I've been meaning to finish for some time now.  It should be done this week (fingers crossed). Remember that Drunkard's Path quilt-along?  I finally finished the top and then it sat and sat for a couple months on top of the washer...I had the backing fabric picked, and it was all ready.  I was a little bummed with it initially because it wasn't as big as I'd hoped it would be and so the border I had added to it wasn't what I thought it'd be.  It just didn't add up to what I'd hoped.

But then I pulled it off the washer yesterday and gave it an ironing, and what do you know, I love it again!  I think it's a great size and will look wonderful over the couch.  I'm doing a simple hand quilting to it, and used an old sheet I picked up at my parents house over thanksgiving that is the perfect rosy, dusty pinkish color that I wanted, and so soft!  It will be wonderful to have it finished.

I will take a better picture when it's done.  The quilting is looking really awesome so far, and should look even better after it's washed and crumply!

I'm linking up to Sew Happy Geek for the Manic Monday Linky Party and at Canoe Ridge Creations Head over and see what everyone else is up to this Monday morning!

I think I'm going to make some hot chocolate!

It's Wednesday again!!!

The time is just going so fast!  I have gotten a few things done that I'm excited to show you! I've linked up at W.I.P Wednesday over at Freshly Pieced, go see what everyone's working on!

Finished:
-Baby quilts -  I finished two of the 3 baby quilts that I've been working on, and the other I'm hand quilting right now, so it should be done this week.  Love those quick projects like that. (I haven't taken pictures of the finished ones yet)

-Blocks for Avery - I was able to make two blocks for a great cause.  Avery is a 13 year old lovely girl who was a fabulous gymnast.  While practicing a routine she had an accident and she is now paralyzed from the waist down.  You can see a video and hear about her story here.  A new friend on Flickr wanted to make a quilt for her to have while she's in the hospital and recovering and asked for some help making blocks, and I was super excited to be able to help!  Here are the two that I made.  Now I just need to mail them!

"In Progress" (Next on the list):
-We Bee Modern Feb. Blocks -  Got my fabric in the mail (from Canada!) and am hoping to get it done this week and mailed next week
-Books and Blocks Bee Too - Get to use fabric from my stash to make a book block!  Also hoping to get this done and mailed next week
-Solstice Star Series (and Summer Sampler) - Faith at Fresh Lemons just posted the tutorial for the next Solstice Star today so that will be my naptime project, and I'm also going to try to do more from the Summer Sampler series so I can end up with a larger quilt top.
-Wedding quilt for old roommate (I'm going to make a Swoon quilt! Pulled fabrics this week) 


No Progress (But also "next")
-Virginia star quilt for in-laws

-Made In Cherry QAL (need to order the background fabric and figure out what to use for backing and binding)
-Husband quilt (strips are cut, need to assemble then cut blocks and just get it done)
-2 patchwork quilts (one with Aneela Hoey prints, one with boyish prints)
-do. Good Stitches Feb. boat blocks (also need to just sit down and do it! Hope to have these in the mail next week too!)
-Hoop up! Stitch and Send swap (Picked my plan for one partner, still searching for the other.  Haven't stitched yet)
-I got this wonderful world map fabric from Hawthorne Threads that I just need to make a quilt sandwich out of and sew up.  Really easy but I haven't done it yet.
-Drunkard's Path QAL (top is done, backing fabric picked, just need to get it done)
-Farmer's Wife QAL (I'm not sure how many I have...But I'm either almost halfway, or a little over.  Haven't made any new blocks in a while)

New Projects
-A friend got engaged this past weekend so I see another wedding quilt on my future list!  Perhaps also a Swoon?
-Another friend is pregnant!  So exciting, especially since that means another baby quilt!   

I'm wishing for a productive weekend!

Hope you had a great Valentine's day yesterday! 

back to real life...

Be warned.  There are lots of pictures in this post.

We are back from vacation, and came home with Ikea furniture to assemble, TONS of laundry to do and put away, the Mr. has school and presentations and finals next week...along with the regular duties of everyday.

But we had SUCH a great trip.  LOVE IT!  We were able to have family from Utah, Washington, and us from Idaho, all together.  It was an awesome thanksgiving.  My favorite on record!  I don't even know where to begin we were so exhausted every day.

Here are some of the things we did while we were there:

In-N-Out (4 or 5 times!)

We were able to get a private tour of the house my step-dad grew up in, which is now a park in Hayward, and it was amazing to hear all the stories, and see the awesome wallpaper and details of the old house.  After the tour we took family pictures on the steps! This is one of the "Uncle" photos.

Monkey pants slept through Thanksgiving dinner...and almost every meal.  Maybe it was the time change? or the pure awesomeness of this trip just wore him out. 

and of course we cooked! and tasted...! By the way, i highly recommend chocolate whipping cream if you can find it.  Awesome stuff I hadn't seen before.

We got to visit the house I grew up in to cut the grass and rake the leaves. 

She tried to help us vacuum!

Lady Face fell asleep at Ikea, which was really helpful to get things done there, but it didn't last very long...

The best part was spending time with all of my family in one place.  Heaven!

We really didn't want to leave...on the drive home Monkey Pants had decided that we were driving to grandma's house...even though we were leaving. 

I can't even remember how much we did.  It was a lot. We were asleep before we hit the pillow just about every night.  It was awesome. 

Today i have one more bookshelf to put together before I can finish trimming and assembling my blocks and quilt top for the Drunkard's Path Quilt-Along that I am soooo behind on. I'm hoping to finish the top by the link up deadline of December 5th. 

I hope you all had a fabulous Thanksgiving, this is my favorite time of the year!