Friday, April 29, 2011

"Voile"-a

When I ordered some Little Folks Voile I didn't really understand that IT ISN'T COTTON.  I had to adjust the tension for my machine.  I really loved the colors of this line and loved the dark purple and grey colors.  I also like the yellow variation but after sewing I held off buying it.

 I have kept something on my wall since I sewed it.  I am a little too busty for this tunic I sewed around my birthday.    I may need to find a really good minimizer and wear a black tank and just wear it.  I have another one already cut out.  I think I will sew a 3/8" seam.  This is a very cute and easy tunic though.  I want to make it in stretch not quilting cotton.  You can find the pattern here.  This is view E.

I know it's so funky and bright,   Not sure if I feel confident enough to wear it.  Flashbacks of being the first person to wear palazzo pants in Jr. high flash in my mind.  I was made fun of SO bad.  The next year all the girls were wearing them. I learned a valuable lesson that day.  Oklahoma is 1-2 years behind on everything.  (Pearl Jam obsession was a big case in point).  I imagine they have sped up these days.

The other day my son pointed to a field in my home town and said "when I grow up I'm gonna buy this land and live here"  I told him "son, I lived here and well it was kinda boring."  He said "well mom, now they have --you know electronics."

Monday, April 25, 2011

Bear with me

I keep changing my Blog title.  The main reason is that I see a blog all the time with the same name or a similar name.  Good grief there are alot of quilters who are moms.  I see alot of ladies with alot of finished quilts on their blogs...I am the queen of juggling 20 projects in the air at once, so I'm not sure if I will be that successful blogging about my unfinished stacks.

Right now I have a stack of crap to do.  I am quilting a bed sized quilt right now and to keep from having to be bedridden for weeks I have to take it slow.  I've found that when doing a large quilt if you have just blocks...doing a motif quilt design and then quilting the sashing is a great way to do a big quilt on a small machine.  I want to finish this soon so I can move on to other projects.  I have several quilt tops to quilt.


I'm still having a blast making these flowers.  This is the loopy flower with two different kinds of centers and leaves.  I've decided I need a glue gun and some felt...thinking it would be easier to glue to a headband or a barrette or pin.


I had a great birthday it was like the 7 days of birthday because my husband ordered things from Amazon and I got a package every day.  My mom and dad gave me part of their give in two weekends.  It was great.  I got this great quilt book.  I love American Jane so it was a good.  I definitely want to try this quilt on the front.

My other projects are coming along fine.  (my boys).  We are having some problems with fighting.  My oldest is punching my youngest and hushing him.  It's disconcerting.  I want to jump in and rescue him or find an older kid to make my oldest learn how it feels to be treated so badly.  The thing is my youngest son LOVES the oldest so much so that he loves him WHILE he is being punched.  It makes me so sad.  When he takes up for himself is the day we should all fear because while peanut is sweet and funny when he gets mad ...be afraid.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

crochet Love!!!

 I've been having so much fun learning to crochet.  I don't want to do little afghans and while yes i am working on a granny square throw it's tedious and boring...this is more my speed...flowers...

There are alot of great books at the library but my husband just got me this book from amazon.


It's seriously addicting and I spent all night making a poppy...something went wrong though....  poor poppy.  It would look better if i had woven in the ends etc but i just cut my losses so to speak...

I'm not sure what I'll do with these flowers but I'm thinking it's a great accent to a quilt or a piece of clothing or hats....who knows...

Also I have to give a shout out to a lady that did a treasury list on Etsy featuring my item http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4dae3752433b8eefd10cbec6/in-remembrance-of-those-lost

my aqua cozy was featured and in turn I think someone saw my brown and green quilt and I sold it.  Now i only have one original quilt left in my store...time to get crackin and finish some more!


Friday, April 15, 2011

um...i need to start saving up...again


I'm a fabric junkie....but i actually had an idea for an appliqued quilt using my son's old plaid shirts and this kind of truck.  Actually I was thinking a 1970 Ford Pickup truck.  But I would settle for this.  It's called Pooches and Pickups by Laurie Wisbrun and it comes out at the end of the month.  Seriously....Seriously cute.


I met with my TMQG girls on Tuesday and learned how to make 4 patch posey blocks.  I had to hit the Daffodil Dash and buy some fabric to make a quilt.  I love bright prints with black so I was psyched to find this cute print from Alexander Henry Fabrics.  Plus I had to buy replacement blades and new scissors.  

I've been teaching myself to crochet and have been very successful with it.  I love making little flowers.  I will be posting pictures of those soon.  I was just thinking about how I always buy t-shirts with embroidery or little trims on them.  Anyway I know a lot knitters and a lot of people who love to knit.  Well I bought the needles and tried...I'm a pro at casting on...i can't knit to save my life however.  I will try again...and again...but crochet is so much more relaxing and FASTER.  In my opinion.

Lots of things hitting at once.  The end of year field trips and plays for my 1st grader, birthdays and holidays for the family.  I negotiated my birthday this year.  I usually drive home and have my mom cook me my favorite meal and we have a birthday dinner for me.  HOWEVER--  I am coming down for Easter and then the next weekend I am coming down for a family picnic with the in-laws.  considering it takes a full tank to go there and back and a fill up is $50.00, and I have to plant my garden sometime in the next three weeks my mom and dad is coming up to help.  My mom loves to plant but has to do the whole yard at her house by herself.  We are big pickle makers here at our house so our pickle production is beginning and my awesome handy husband built me a trellis.  We saw the plan in our favorite magazine Mother Earth News.  I told him I needed chickens.  I just found out this week that we could have them in our city limits.  I'm thinking if I gave some eggs to the neighbors they would be okay with some chickens.  I really was born in the wrong era.

I'm also sewing a lot...I have started quilting the Lake Star burst Quilt.  I also decided to make myself some blouses out of material I've had forever.  (How appropriate that I was sewing a shirt with fabric called "hot Flash" on my birthday?)

And last week I made 8 pairs of jams for my boys.


This is the only picture i got of my favorite ones made out of a cute cute Hawaiian fabric.  Maxine's fabric has been an awesome blessing.  I'm amazed at all the fabric I have.  I need to find a friend that has NO fabric and give them some of mine though.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Batting


i splurged and spent all my quilt money on one item i've been wanting for awhile. a big roll of batting...i'm tired to buying and cutting coupons and ordering the cheapest package of batting...this will last me ages...especially if i use that handy dandy fusible tape to join two pieces together. 40 yards...of fun...of fluffy quilting fun....now if i can just finish up and get going enjoying the roll of quilting lol...


I have two very sweet little girls in my family that will be turning 1 soon. I have been planning on their birthdays for awhile now. Yes I'm alittle girl crazy it's only to get it out of my system. Along with a special video I have made each of them a couple of pinafores with some frilly diapers.






Seriously at what age do frilly big bottom areas go out of style??? I'm sure it's the same as a bustle. When will that trend circulate again? Cause I could totally swing that with no modifications.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Link up party

there's a link up at Mommy's Kinda Crafty sight.  Sign up to promote your shop!







Everyone come follow my blog and visit my etsy store and i will do the same!!

Friday, April 1, 2011

slacking in some respects....

I think i quilt to avoid the real world.  I've always done this.  Developed a hobby and just kept at it and wear myself out almost.  All these times are because i feel troubled about something.

I learned to play the guitar at 15 to get over  a boy that rejected me.  LoL -I know that's funny but I swore I only loved him because i fell for his guitar playing and singing.  I remember he played "More than Words"  and needed someone to sing harmony (which i have done since 6 lol) and he chose "Becky."

Then I painted windows and glass.  It was like stained glass only paint.  They still sell it I think.  I then started making stained glass and stepping stones.  All through College I played guitar and serenaded myself...and painted...through alot of loneliness/heartache.

Quilting has been a different thing all together.  I show love to other people by making them quilts.  In some ways I want to learn things that I brushed aside as silly when i was on a "career path."

Quilting for me is like arts and crafts for mentally ill people-- a necessity.  However I get on the Learning high that doing it does for me and i can't think of anything else.  But I am on a quest to be a more dynamic person and in that respect I hope to not have a Whole lot of quilts done --not to the extent that i have been any way.  I hope to not be online all the time either.

I have other grandma pursuits.  We will be putting our garden out soon (89ers day)  which falls on Easter this year!!!  aaaacckkk!  We expanded the garden and will be figuring out a watering/drainage system soon.  Last year we did a carpet garden.  You basically throw the carpet on the  dirt around the plants.  Canning is another big one this year.  I hope i have tomatoes this year cause I have my grandma's pressure cooker!  We are becoming quite famous in the family for our salt pickles/candied jalapenos and green tomato pickles.

And the last big deal is my weight...again.  I was working out and doing spark people but I'm amazed at how $9/week makes you really work hard and stick to a plan.  I'm on the second week of weight watchers --technically.  I'm loving it.  I have about 65lbs to lose.  I've already lost around 30 or so...and i keep just going back and forth and back and forth.  My craftiness added to alittle social anxiety you might see how this may relate to being overweight...

I turn 35 in two weeks.  I have to get healthy now.  So im doing the ww thing and also training for a 5 k again...only taking it easy and slow...it's ok if i walk the 5 k.


OK here's the latest quilt...it's the little sister to the funky Brady bunch i made a few months ago.  It's for a little girl named harmony.  She has Ewing's Sarcoma...she just got over leukemia.  She is the same age as my oldest son so I've been thinking about her alot.

I've been debating in my head what i want to do for a job next year and my youngest will be 4 and i still want that one more chance to get a little girl...and then i see kids getting sick.  In one week a lady at my mops revealed in a meeting that her son is very sick and they think it's genetic.  He's 6 months old and still tiny like a newborn and won't gain weight.  Then harmony's diagnosis, then a friend had a baby and he has hypo plastic left heart syndrome.  I then think...one more kid, just one more?  I am so so so so so blessed to have two very healthy little boys.  This world isn't permanent and anyone that acts like it is hasn't had the rug pulled out from under them.  We all are guilty of this mindset.  I see my reminder every time I see my dad (who had a stroke and can't walk).