Thursday, October 25, 2012

8 months...

Dear Ziona,I know they say a thousand times how fast time flies when you have children, but I really never understood until now.  Just yesterday I awoke to be handed your hungry little form.  A feeling washed over me that is simply indescribable.  We waited what felt like forever to have you and it is such a joy to see you grow, laugh and learn.  From the different foods your 7 teeth are nibbling on, to the books you lovingly turn pages, to the moments you laugh and look over to me in pure delight; These are the snapshots I will treasure forever.

Love Mommy

a few minutes after you were born


A couple days ago you took your first wobbly steps from your walker to the sliding glass door all on your own

You were so excited to pet your first pumpkin

Grandma sent you new clothes in the mail; you especially had fun touching them.

Your favorite new toy this month was a box.  No you may not go with the traveling stash box...



Seeing Yellow...

It's Late...Very late in fact, but I cannot sleep.  I decided to go ahead and post pictures of my finished 2nd Brick Pathway Quilt since I finished hand-sewing the binding tonight.  I abandoned this project when I made the Forest Floor Quilt for the school fundraiser instead of this one (You can see that one HERE).  Another quilt is needed for a quilt raffle at our church for a music Endowment (I am so super excited about this!!!).  Since the colors work for the fundraiser I am showing them both quilts to see which one they like.  Although I would make a completely different quilt if they want me to since I am so happy to see my husband be able to participate in choir this year and play his Violin.  Music gives him so much joy and he deserves that with all that he does.  He is taking 12 credits graduate level at 2 different seminaries as well as working full time (thankfully he loves his job) while taking his roles as father and husband seriously.  Anyways, on to the pictures!!

Brick Pathway Quilt #2:  Back

Brick Pathway Quilt #2:  Front

Brick Pathway Quilt #2:  Front & Back details

Just in case you don't remember the first Quilt I will share those pictures as well.  The fabrics are similar with a few changes, plus the back on one has a little more detailing pattern.

Brick Pathway Quilt #1:  Front

Brick Pathway Quilt #1:  Back

Brick Pathway Quilt #1:  Front Details

Brick Pathway Quilt #1:  Back Details

I am Linking this post up to TGIFF's OctoberQuest party!  Get going on your WIP or UFO lists, link up to a TGIFF party each finished project and you could win one of two $50 gift cards from Mad About Patchwork!



If you are a blogger, check out the Traveling Stash Box I am giving away on this post HERE!  Its a part of a larger group of traveling stash boxes so click on the button to your left to learn about the others!




Tuesday, October 23, 2012

The Old Craft Store BOM & Table Runner



Give A Hoot's BOM's Away Party
A Block of the Month finishing party, what a brilliant idea!  It's kind of convoluted how I found this group, but I just love the idea and I think it just might work for me.  Groups and linky parties are what get me going on my projects.  I mean I try to plan and block off time to work on my projects but it takes a little peer pressure to get things done sometimes to be honest.  My goal this next week is to get caught up with the Women's right to Vote Block of the Week.  I am finding many of the blocks a challenge to me, but its good for me.  Total, I am a part of 3 BOM (2 online and 1 at a local quilt shop) and 1 BOW.  My ultimate goal is to catch up of course, but that is so hard to do!

The Legacy Sampler:  Woven Union Block @ The Old Craft Store's First Saturday BOM Club (October-block 1)

The Test Block Table Runner Back
The Legacy Sampler BOM at The Old Craft Store has a monetary value to it.  If you bring the completed quilt block back on the designated Saturday (using the fabric provided) you get the next block for free.  So at the end I will have paid $5 for the club, gotten 12 blocks free and then I prepaid for the last 4-blocks needed for the quilt top.  They have a finishing kits too, but I plan to put my blocks on point and use some fabric from Connecting Threads to make a quilt for a family member for next year's Christmas.  My plans are to do a test block in the Martinique fabric line (I have a bit from several Moda Scrap Bags) so that I will end up with all the blocks for 2 quilt tops by the end of the BOM Club!  This time I made a few test blocks that I turned into a table runner which will end up as somebody's Christmas present!

Here is my 4th Practice block

The first 3 practice blocks made a great table runner!

I am Linking this post up to TGIFF's OctoberQuest party!  Get going on your WIP or UFO lists, link up to a TGIFF party each finished project and you could win one of two $50 gift cards from Mad About Patchwork!



If you are a blogger, check out the Traveling Stash Box I am giving away on this post HERE!  Its a part of a larger group of traveling stash boxes so click on the button to your left to learn about the others!



Orphan Train Baby Quilt #1

I did not manage to post anything on Friday for the 3rd week of TGIFF's October Quest, but I hoping to make up for that this week!
The Front of this 40" X 40" quilt made with leftover blocks from other projects

The back

I am extremely please with how this quilt turned out, especially when I consider that it was assembled from leftover blocks or parts of blocks from former projects.  I made up a star stitching pattern, copied it onto other pieces of thin paper that my FIL gave me last year.  It's the paper they put between the plates they use for printing a newspaper (He's the news paper's pressman), I don't know what it is exactly but it's better than freezer paper or tissue paper!  I pinned those to the blank cream blocks to keep the lines straight.  The thread is a tealish color that I had left over and I am trying to completely get rid of thread from old projects.  I want to eventually switch over almost completely to Connecting Thread's thread which has been a dream to stitch with.

A close-up of the star stitch and meandering stitch used in between.

If you are a blogger, check out the Traveling Stash Box I am giving away on this post HERE!




Saturday, October 13, 2012

Don't Be Tempted...Stash Report

Updated 10/14/2012 @ 1:31PM CTZ:  So another posting glitch. I had several posts set-up to post, but there was a little operator error in what I did, lol. Thanks for reading this late.


I was sorting bins, trying to make room for a Christmas tree someone is going to give us (It will have to go somewhere when February comes around!).  I found a tub full of fabric... a lot of yardage.  There are some bits of fabric that do nothing but inspire me and then comes this bin of fabric, which actually makes me anxious.  I don't know what to do with it all.  Over the years I have received a lot of fabric from my mother or other's who are purging their own items.  I love fabric, I really do, but I need to get a handle on my collection.
Scrap sorting back into the bins.
Now I say this over and over and probably sound like a broken record.  So I decided to finally do something, something drastic.  I found a large box in our storage area and I plan to fill it with items and ship it to Carin at Margaret's Hope Chest.  If you don't know anything about this organization I strongly suggest you check them out (Click on the button above or on my side bar)!  They will take fabric, batting, & partially-finished projects or quilts.  They also will take totally finished quilts too!

2 yd Red & 1/2 yd. Green fabrics are from the same line (Already own Cream for piping)
I went to the local craft store in the old downtown area today, which happens to also be where we mail our packages off!  Oh Talk about a tempting place!  I had already purchased Baby Girl's fabric to make her Christmas dress last Saturday (see picture below, it is counted in my additions for this week).  My intentions were to get some packages mailed off, but I had to kick myself for leaving them at home in my rush to get out of the house this morning.  So

I do have to put an order in on Friday from Connecting Threads for some specific fabric that a customer wants used for two commissioned Crib Quilts  .  I waited to place the order because I also need to figure out the border fabric I need for the fish Quilt I have been struggling with for several days.  I just want to leave it alone and go back to my Family Tree Wall Hanging so badly, but  I have to keep reminding myself that it is for a good cause...Anywho, I was a very good girl and did not pick up fabric today.

Here is my Stash Report through 10/13/2012*:

Used last Week: 5 7/8 yards
Used year to Date: 44 1/2 yards
Added last Week: 2 1/2 yards
Added Year to Date: 45 5/8 yards
Net Used for 2012: -1 1/8 yards

Thanks again for stopping by and you shall see me tomorrow!

*This is a rough estimate in the foggy haze of birth and all that.  I do remember getting a stash of fabric from some people moving out of my building in late April & my mother gave me fabric as well (some got passed on to others) but I had to guess at amounts.  I will be better about exact amounts from July onward.



Friday, October 12, 2012

October Quest Week 2 (Finishes 41)

Updated 10/14/2012 @ 1:29PM CTZ:  So another posting glitch. I had several posts set-up to post, but there was a little operator error in what I did, lol. Thanks for reading this late.
My Little Pumpkin with her first pumpkin posed photo!
Hello Autumn Season!  It is finally getting cooler here in Texas, somewhere around 70 F today.  Back home they are well into another season of winter and I have to admit I am a bit jealous.  Last Sunday the Forest Floor Quilt I made for a quilt raffle was given away to a ticket chosen as part of a fall festival.  Ziona got her picture taken on the display by my friend's I-Camera, which really puts my 2 mega-pixel camera to shame!  We have been saving up to buy a new camera when someone suggested I just buy a smart phone!  Which one do you prefer?  Oh I digress..umm, finishes, yes that is where I was going...I am so excited about October-Quest which is being hosted by TGIFF!  You link up each finished piece to the friday linky party which is hosted by a different person each week--look into hosting yourself in 2013, many follow internationally.

I was so excited when I first saw the 100 Day hustle, but once again I missed the part where I was supposed to sign up to link.  Oh well, there are 81 days left in the year so I have really pushed to get my pile of projects completed.  I love the idea of starting the new year out with a clean slate.  I am planning to do some purging the week between Christmas & New Year's Day.  I am also planning on putting together a whole new set of project packs.  I find all the projects I want to work on, "shop" my stash, bag it and then put it on my calendar.  The calendar is the new part of my plan this year.  I like making a copy of the directions or sketching (if I came up with it) so that I don't mess up the original, especially if it came from a  magazine.  Sometimes I will make "precut" pieces like charms or strips ahead of time; sometimes it is easier to cut a bunch of things at once.  If I end up getting all my projects completed soon then I will start my project packs sooner this year.

Double-Pinwheel Quilt (What should I call it?):
This double-pinwheel quilt was one of my project packs from the past.  The sashing, border and backing fabric came later.  Now that I have this block figured out I can plan better for the next time I used this design again in later quilts.  As I shared on Monday's Post (HERE), Ziona really loves this quilt so I might use this pattern as the basis for her quilt.  I am planning to use Yellows, gray, black, & white for her colors.  What do you think of that?  Any other suggestions of a 4-color pattern I could use?
The Front

A Close-up of the front

The Back
Mini-wonky paperclip quilt:
From the R,W, & B blog Hop a couple months ago.  I finally got it completed with a quilted star top stitching, a dark navy polka-dot print for the back, and a marbled gold for the  binding.  I also put a hanging sleeve on the back.


the Front
The Back (Before I got the binding on)


I am so excited that I won the traveling Stash box!  I will post pictures once I have received it and I will post a giveaway next week to choose the next winner of the box!  You also can check out Sewingly Along for the Master list of the 8 traveling boxes!

This Week Linking up to:
TGIFF hosted By M-R @ Quilt Matters 
WHOOP, WHOOP Fridays @Confessions of a Fabric Addict
Link A Finish Friday @ Richard & Tanya Quilt
Fresh Sewing Day @ Lily's Quilts


Tuesday, October 9, 2012

Once Upon a Pinwheel Quilt...(LMH D7)


Once upon a time, The Double-Pinwheel Quilt was completed, and the quilter decided to take some pictures to share with her crafting friends.  Suddenly, someone crawled in to lay claim to the quilt!  The quilter tried to lure the squatter off the quilt by putting books off the quilt.  The Crawler hustled over to the books and dragged them backwards onto the quilt and settled in to look at them...


I don't quite know what attracts Ziona to this quilt, but her eyes light up at it and she gets this little smile on her face.  I finally gave in and let her read on the quilt; I still have to wash it to give it that crinklely look.  I then plan to post it on our Etsy shop.  I am very glad this quilt is done!  I will have more pictures on Friday for the finishes (Go OctoberQuest!).  Thank you for visiting!


Visit these blogs for more leafy goodness...

Day Seven

Friday, October 5, 2012

Leafs Me [Sew] Happy...Day 5

Welcome to the 5th day on the Leafs Me Happy Blog Hop, and my stop on the train! Once again I had more ideas than time on hand, but I did my best to focus and get something accomplished!


Insanity Defense
Michelle May & the Bunnies
Sparrow In FLight (ME!)
Quilted Delights
Quilting With a Marmalade Cat
Traveling Quilter
A Stitch in Time
Cherry Blossoms
Tea Time Creations
Moose Stash Quilting
Stitchin By the Lake

Every Color Leaf Tree...
I just love how this Leafy tree block turned out!  If you cannot tell I am really into rainbows these days.  Although I made the leaves from the remains from THIS past project.  The trunk base came from Shrinking down the Family Tree Pattern by Lilac Lane, cutting it down to 2 branches.  I plan on making the wall hanging before the end of the year, so I was excited to atleast try out the trunk (super easy).  I plan to make this block into a pillow cover; I am half-way tempted to change my plan for Ziona's bedroom from Yellow, white, gray & Black to Rainbows!  I really loved the Dotty star I made for the Dots On Dots Blog Hop which enticed me to making the leaves rainbowy for this block.


Leaves...On the Forest Floor
It all started out with my making leafy blocks for this hop from my precious stash of Sandy Gervais fabrics.  From those blocks I decided to make a quilt for a fundraiser for the preschool at my church.  I found a pattern online that actually used the big leaf blocks that I had already made-up called Forest Floor.  I had a couple block left to show you, but they somehow got misplaced so I am sharing the full quilt to show you.

"Forest Floor" Modified from the Pattern (Found HERE)

A look at the back of the Quilt

A Close-Up of my Swirling Wind FMQ
I did a search last night for some other patterns to direct fall enthusiasts towards.  A Blog Came up with a collection which actually includes a couple of the patterns I used myself!  You can peruse that post HERE.

I have delayed my Finishes post until  tomorrow, so come back to see all that I have completed this week!

Don't Forget to check out OctoberQuest