Bee blocks finished, I Spy Charm Swap...

I feel like I finished a whole bunch of stuff this week!  Yay!  Got several things in the mail, off of my sewing table, and now I can tackle the next layer of projects!! 

Here's what I did:

I finished my February bee blocks for the Bliss circle of do. Good Stitches:

I'm pleased with how they turned out, and hope they are enjoyed!  It was fun to try something I haven't done in a while, and making the scrappy sail was really fun.  Good way to use up those little scraps.

I also got to make a February block for Katie as part of the We Bee Modern group that I'm in.  Everyone picks a block from the book Modern Blocks (99 modern quilt blocks compiled by Susanne Woods) and then we all get to make it!  Katie chose On The Plus Side on pg. 124.  I wanted to practice first before I used the fabric she sent (all the way from Canada!), and I think I will do this with all the future blocks and then I'll end up with my own cool quilt of the blocks chosen throughout the year!  Here's how my practice block turned out:

I like the colors I picked out and am going to stay with this grey, blue, and yellow thing for all my practice blocks! 

Once I finished this practice one I felt much better about tackling "the real thing".  I get a little nervous when I am making something for someone else, because I want it to be perfect.  It didn't iron as flat as I'd hoped it would but hopefully Katie will like it anyway!  I think it turned out pretty well!  And the fabrics she chose from Echo are simply wonderful!

I also joined in on another I Spy Charm Swap and couldn't decide between two fabrics...so I picked both!!  If you're looking fora swap to join here's the link to the group on Flickr.  I'm pretty sure there are still several spaces open, and the fabrics picked so far are AWESOME! Here are the two that I picked:

Bug Jars in Grey from Patty Sloniger's Backyard Baby (really I've just been looking for an excuse to buy some of this!).  The bottom one is Toyroom in Lilac from Sarah Jane's awesome line Children at Play.  Both fabrics I bought at Hawthorne Threads (and borrowed the images too!).  Love that shop.

I still need to finish the binding on one baby quilt, wash them, and take pictures of them to put up here.  The other thing I'm hoping to get done this weekend is the February block for my the other bee I'm in.  It's another bee with using the book Modern Blocks to pick a block each month and make it (This way I get to be in two bee's using this book so I'll get to do more blocks from it!).  She chose the book block on page 126 and has great ideas for what she wants us to do.  I'm excited to show you the finished block (once I make it of course)!

I'm also hoping to get some progress made on the Mr's quilt so I can justify cutting fabric for my first SWOON quilt!!  Really excited about that fabric stack I've got.

What are you doing this weekend?  It just started snowing so we might be enjoying some hot chocolate and coziness today!  Hope your weekend is enjoyable and relaxing!! 

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! 

Happy Friday!

It's been an up and down week, but I do have some  projects in the works to show you that I am excited about! 

First, I finished the February HST block of the month following Jeni's awesome tutorial (You should go make this, now).

 I added 3 new Farmer's wife blocks (I needed a break from all those tiny pieces but might make more tonight!) These are blocks 70, 50, and 12.

 I wanted to make this Greek Cross for a while, and since was a little scared to try the paper piecing star from the solstice star series at Fresh Lemons, I made this block from the Summer Sampler series.  Tutorial here

 Here is the next block in the Solstice Star series that came together really well.  I like it a lot.

 Here's what I have made using this tutorial from Blue Elephant Stitches.  Love it.  Planning on two girl baby quilt and one baby boy quilt.  The top is done for the boy quilt, and I plan to put the extra square on the back of it. 

 Then, I recently got to join the Bliss circle of the do. Good stitches bee, and for February we are making boat blocks with scrappy sails appliqued onto a white background.  This is what I've got so far, hopefully I can get these made this weekend and then in the mail next week.

 Yesterday I made coffee cake, and it was wonderful.

 And the kids practiced sticking their tongues out "like the alligator" (who has no tongue?)

Happy weekend to you!

I'm going to sew tonight...

...after I have a mini-meltdown. 

I get super upset when people don't do the right thing, especially when it affects my family.  ISU isn't accepting my husband's previous credits (all of the GE's), because they aren't accepting the accreditation that our previous university has. 

I know this is a mistake.  And I am going to get it fixed.


It's not right. It's not fair.  I will fix it.

Sometimes I just can't quite seem to get it right.

My attitude was off today, and that's totally my fault. I let my patience run out, and my temper is short, and the kids seem to listen even less than usual, and I feel even worse of a mother than usual.

I have a good life, and good kids, a good marriage, and nothing disastrous is looming.  I even did some things today that I needed to get checked off the list: 

-I made it one week without a single drip of chocolate (and then celebrated with chocolate cream pie today...?)
-Got our car's title registered and now have official Idaho plates (brought both kids and decided never to do that again)
-There was snow on the ground this morning (melted by noon...but it was still pretty)
-Mailed out my charms for a charm square swap I'm participating in (many thanks to the lady at the post office)
-Took the kids to the indoor play place at the mall to work off their energy (didn't really work)
-Had a healthy lunch
-Did some exercises while the kids napped (very first baby step, so here's to that)
-Bundled up and kicked the football "to the moon" with Monkey Pants outside for a while (also good exercise)

It was a pretty productive Monday, I did things I wanted and needed to do. But still, I could've done much better.  I yell too much, I am too lazy, I get frustrated too easily, and I spend too much time sitting and wishing for what I want and not being courageous enough to get up and start making it happen.  I am too hard on myself, but I do think it's good to know I can do better...as long as I actually DO better, right?

Monday's can be tough...even for no good reason...

*One morning we found this plastic alligator stuck in the shades of our front window, so we took a picture of it.  It makes me smile.  The other picture is just our lovely patient "Hobbers" as the kids call him.  He is the best dog, and I frequently wish I had his patience for my children. 

WIP Wednesday

So, yesterday I was pretty determined to get some things checked off the list.  I have too many projects in progress and need to focus and complete something before I keep starting new things.  Good plan, right?

Well, then my kids too their nap and I wanted to watch the newest episode of The Bachelor on Hulu while I did some sewing and what did I do? I started 3 new projects.  Baby blankets using this lovely block tutorial from Blue Elephant Stitches.  I'm pretty sure I want to make 5 more quilts for myself using my scraps and this block, but no.  I have to have a finish first.  I got some more fabric yesterday that's for my Husband's quilt (this is the one I'm making while taking a class from Rachel Griffith) and so I can finally start cutting that...another start...!!

  

So, here's what I've got going on, and what I did get done this week (I'm hoping that joining in on these WIP Wednesdays will help me account for all my projects, and keep me from starting more until I make progress on or finish another one).

Completed:
Nothing :(

New Projects:
*3 Baby quilts (2 due in March, 1 due in may) using the tutorial I mentioned above.  All I got done was the cutting, and still have some more to cut for the boy one.

*Husband's quilt-fabric received and ready to cut tonight!
*Oh My Stars! quilt-along - Have fabric cut and pinned for a few of my first stars but haven't sewn them together yet, besides the fact that I'm starting way late in the game, but It's a really awesome quilt that I wanted to start making before I forgot about it.

Made Progress:
Made in Cherry quilt-along - I've got the main part sewn together and need to finish up the star points, then figure out what to use as background fabric.

No Progress:
*In-Law's quilt (still need to finish cutting the pieces)
*Patchwork quilts for my kids (2 quilts)
*Farmers Wife QA
*do.Good stitches February blocks
*Hoop Up Stitch and Swap (need to make my inspiration piece and a gallery)
*Sherbet Pips, A Walk in the Woods, and Little Apples patchwork quilt

I'm linking up for the first time to Freshly Pieced's WIP Wednesday link party!  Fingers crossed I can figure it out...!!

monday, monday...

...I became an Idaho citizen today.  I aced the eye test, and got 4 wrong on the drivers test...and is it just me or are things getting much more "techy" around those places...the test was on a touch screen computer, with pictures! i took my driver's test in California with a PENCIL AND PAPER!  I'm pretty sure it was a scantron (and we thought those were fancy).

Anyway, we're trying to get our car registered and everything, and kind of forgot to do it until our Virginia registration ran out at the end of last month and the Mr. got pulled over and informed of the problem.  embarrassing, right?! since I've never owned a car before and moved to a different state, I'm not sure what normal procedure is, but it seems like an awful lot of hassling and getting original copies and paperwork nonsense to me...

But that was only part of our awesome Monday experience.  the other part was much scarier.  Monkey Pants did NOT take a nap (it took him exactly 6 minutes to fall asleep tonight though, so that was pretty awesome), but also, while not taking their nap, these adorable children of mine somehow managed to down their dresser, and escape unscratched. I have no idea how it happened because I was in the bathroom when I heard the BOOM, followed by a brief scared cry from Lady Face, followed by Monkey Pants exclaiming, "She broked it!  She broked it!"

I didn't know what to do! Kiss them for being fine and not decapitated or severed into pieces, or be upset that the dresser we've had for all of two months got broken (that was an organizational win for me - thanks Ikea, of course).  It was so scary, so now whenever I hear the drawers open to that dresser, I run in to check on them.  One of my biggest fears is that something like that will happen with disastrous results that is easily preventable (had I not been in the bathroom at that precise moment)!  ugh...it just kills me. 

Back to fabric though, I got two great packages in the mail today.  One from Hawthorne Threads, pretty much my favorite online fabric shop for their great selection and awesome fast shipping, the other from The Fat Quarter Shop, which has a great sale section that I frequently obsess over at nights.  If you haven't visited them before, you should do so right now.  But I'm not responsible for what happens...its super fantastic!

From the Fat Quarter Shop I got some Aneela Hoey prints of the girl on the swing from her line Sherbet Pips, and some of the others, including the scarves in two colors.  I plan on using the scarves to bind my upcoming patchwork quilt that will feature all three of her fabric lines (p.s. have you seen the Christmas line she has coming out?  It's just what I've been waiting for as far as Christmas fabrics go.  It's so cute).  The other prints here are Alexander Henry's Paris Park in pink, and a blue and grey print that I'm forgetting the name of right now (bottom right, anyone know it?).  Great deal.  I am always proud of myself when I can encourage my fabric addiction at a great price (win-win!).

From Hawthorne Threads I got some odds and ends I've been oogling for a while.  Some of the butterfly and sweet spots prints from the line Betty Butterfly by Patty Solinger,  an awesome new print from the collection Washi by Rashida Coleman Hale, the bunting print from Circus Party by Michael Miller, squirrels and trees in sorbet by David Walker's Get Together line, then some Joel Dewberry herringbone in pond (must have more! so pretty), and a fun Ikat print from Sorbet by Michael Miller (and I want the rest of those colors too!)

I have a huge WIP list that I'm hoping to make progress on this week.  Too much to even make it worth listing in this post.  I'm hoping to finish sewing together the main star of my Made In Cherry quilt, and get some Farmer's Wife blocks made (I took a break from all those super tiny pieces but I think I'm ready for it again).  I also have some pieces cut for the Oh My Stars! quilt-along that I need to get to sewing before my brain can no longer connect the pieces to the directions anymore...

It started snowing here today (finally) and I'm hoping there's enough on the ground in the morning that the monkeys can get bundled up and go mess around outside for a while!