...And On To The Next

Abigail's quilt is done and waiting for her stats to be embroidered once she arrives (hence the safety pins that remain).  Because my belly is getting big fast and my legs don't allow a lot of up and down, I decided to tie this quilt to finish it quickly.  I would have loved to hand quilt it (my favorite method), but I wanted to make sure it would be done in time.  We are so excited! Only 4 more months to go!

I got my mini charm packs in the mail the other day...on to the next project!

Abigail's Baby Quilt Top Done

Thanks to another night of insomnia and listening to my favorite chick flick, I finished Abby's quilt top.  Now for some much needed sleep then basting & quilting!

A Helper

Yesterday I had my nephew.  While he was playing with toys, I started working on Abigail's quilt.  He was fascinated by the rotary cutter, sewing machine, fabric and most of all...my fleece design "board".  As with all of the kids (and teens) that have been to my house, it's their favorite thing to play around with.  I keep a basket of old scraps next to the board for them to design with.  This was his first time playing with this, and he had a blast! He fell in love with this one scrap lol! He kept saying it was his favorite & wanted to hang it on his wall at his house.  Next thing I knew, he crumpled it up & tried to sneak it in his pocket haha!  I told him he could keep it :)

It's only been 2 years...

It's only been 2 years since my last post?  It feels like ages.  So much has changed, so many new beginnings...both out of choice and circumstance.  Sadly, not too many quilting/sewing projects completed in those 2 years, but I hope to change that beginning now.  My main goal for this blog is to have a virtual diary of my life, accomplishments, failures (without them we cannot grow), and everything in between.  My kids are growing up way too fast and even though I'm here, I still feel as if I'm missing out on so much!  Hann is now 15 and a sophomore in high school.  Elijah is now 10 and in 4th grade.  I have another on the way, due 8/3, and still have to convince myself it's not a dream.  I've always wanted more kids, but knocking on 40's door, honestly I thought it'd be via adoption haha.  This pregnancy is easier and harder in different ways than my other 2.  Either way I'm excited to have another baby running around.  The kids are excited too.  Monday is the big appointment where we find out the gender.  I hope that the baby cooperates haha!

Here's what I'm currently working on...

Christmas and the New Year

For some reason, Christmas just didn't feel like Christmas usually does.  Maybe it's because it was my first one as a single mom.  Maybe it's because the weather was unseasonably warm.  Maybe it's because my budget was almost non-existent.  Maybe it's because I worked so much, I just didn't have the energy to put into it what I usually do.  Maybe it's because the kids weren't here to wake me up uber early like they have every year since they were born (they were at their dad's).  I don't know, but Christmas is my favorite holiday, yet this one I was ready to see it go. 

At work, we had a secret Santa exchange, and my person wanted Christmas ornaments.  Being on a super tight budget, I bought one and made one.  Well, the one I made (although the letter is really crooked) got me into the mood to make more for my family.  I made photo books on Snapfish for each of the families and tied an ornament on the package.  I used all scraps from my stash and ones my sister gave me, and didn't use a pattern, but I think they turned out pretty cute...

 Pillowcases for my niece & nephew's bdays...

Baby Filmstrip

Ok, my quilting ADD crept up on me faster than I had anticipated. I've got Hannah's Quilt of Super Awesomeness on one craft table and started cutting the pieces for Elijah's quilt. I have decided to do a black version of Crazy Mom Quilts' Baby Filmstrip. I think with all of the crazy fabrics he picked out it'll look adorable, and since he LOVES taking pictures, the title is perfect! I'm starting to freak out a little because I have 4 weeks to finish both of these bad boys in time for Valentine's Day. I figured if I go ahead and piece his top, then I just have quilting left to go.

I'm also going to try and conquer my fear of binding. I usually just leave enough of the backing to fold over the front so I don't have to worry about bias and the dreaded mitered corners (I'm cringing just saying it). However, my need to begin conquering my sewing fears is motivating me to try it. I think I have successfully done the regular binding method ONCE since I started sewing almost 10 years ago. Wish me luck!!!

Hannah's Valentine's Day Binkie Update

My husband thinks I won't get these done in time by hand quilting, but I see that as a challenge. I love the look of hand quilting, and the receiver knows how much I care for them because I took the time to show them...my way.

Happy New Year!

Happy 2010! I can't say I have a long list of resolutions for the new year, as I try to work on things each day all year. I'm excited to start on my next quilts.


I took the kids to Joann's last weekend. They've been begging me for the past year to make them new binkies. I decided to make them new ones for Valentine's Day. Originally I was going to make a red, black and white one for Elijah and a pink, white and chocolate one for Hannah, but once we got to Joann's I thought it would be fun for them to pick out their own fabrics. Here are their selections...


Hannah's choices:

















Elijah's choices:















Elijah got really overwhelmed at all of the fabrics and so after an hour of him looking at everything, I finally told him to pick 6 that he really liked and I'd figure out a way to make them work. I'm thinking large sawtooth stars with a solid black background, or rectangles with solids in the middles...I have 1 month and 2 weeks to figure it out and get it done haha! Wish me luck!

Merry Christmas

Wow I totally forgot I even had this thing. I can't believe how much has gone on in my life since the last time I wrote in here. We have a new addition to our family, a cat named Kitty (even though I call her Meow Meow since that's all she does). She gets along with Spencer good. The only problem is that I can't keep the dog from eating the "treats" in the cat's litter box...gross! Any ideas would be welcomed :) Christmas was nice. The kids got a lot of cool stuff and had a blast playing with every single thing they got within 4 hours. It's like they were on a tight time schedule haha!

So the binkie I started last year got stored away once I started my job in February. Until a month ago I was working 2 full time jobs and quilting was the last thing I had time for. I quit one of my jobs and pulled it back out. I'm proud of myself for totally being brave enough to try the whole improv thing. I think it turned out good. I made it for my mom for Christmas and an "I appreciate you" gift. That woman is AMAZING! The embroidered square design came from one of the girls I work with. She is always doodling and I fell in love with this doodle so much I had to stitch it. Thanks Michelle! I'm waiting on mom to send me some pics of the finished quilt so I can put them up here.

For now, here's one of it in progress...

















My next project is going to be a Wonky Log Cabin like the one here http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/search?q=for+dana . It looks so fun and is right up my alley. Fingers crossed it won't turn out like that purse I tried to make 2 weeks ago. That was a total nightmare. At least I can salvage some of the fabric haha!

Merry Christmas!

New Binkie and the Park

Yesterday was a great day. I took my son and niece to the park. Unfortunately it was already super hot when we got there, so the slides and most of the equipment were too hot to play on. They did take advantage of the sandbox though. :) Today was really beautiful as well. Elijah is my money saver. He'll save until he has enough to buy what he wants. Hannah will spend it as soon as she gets it, for fear that it will literally burn a hole in her pocket. I took Elijah to the dollar store to spend his set $2. He ended up with a neat car set (because we really need 20 more cars laying around to step on) and a "party set" as he calls it. Yep. Out of all the toys in the store, he went to the housewares section and bought a set that came with a matching plate, bowl, spoon, fork, knife and cup. They had every color imaginable. Out of all of them which did he pick? Purple. I knew as soon as he grabbed it I wouldn't hear the end of it from my husband haha! His favorite color is pink and Jeremy's having a hard time with that. I say it's just a phase and a color. He's a mama's boy...what do you expect? haha! Last year when he broke his arm, I had to talk him out of getting a bright pink cast. Another exciting day in the land of being a mom :)


I'm struggling with how I want to lay out these blocks in the quilt I'm working on. I'm not going by a pattern (they kind of bore me anyway). I always start with a pattern, then it turns into something totally off the beaten path by the time I'm done, so I figured I would just do what came to mind. I think it's because my quilting ADD usually kicks in about mid-project. :) Scrappy quilts are a bit more difficult, but I enjoy it more. My favorite is the hand quilting part anyway haha! I'm sure the layout will look completely different by the time I get done anyway, so I'll update the pictures once I actually get the rest of the blocks done and the top pieced.

Past Projects

I figured I would put some past projects on here. I'm currently working on a quilt without a pattern (a first for me). Since my favorite part is the hand quilting, I figured maybe without a pattern, I would find a new love for piecing the tops. Once my camera batteries are charged, I'll put up some pics of where I'm at. :)

I got to visit my sister at her coffe shop in Saint Augustine today. We experimented with frappucinos and iced lattes...probably not good for my diet, but treats now and then are ok. Since I won't be helping her work tomorrow and Saturday, I have time to hopefully finish the top of the quilt I started last week.