Friday Night Sew-In A Success! February 20, 2010

I had been very excited about the Friday Night Sew-In (any excuse, right?) but I almost didn’t make it!  My husband was playing a benefit for Haiti tonight, which left me free to spend the entire night in front of my machine without guilt.  I tucked the kids in bed, put on my favorite pjs, and started laying out the supplies.  And then the baby was crying.  Fresh diaper and I’m back to sewing.  Then the baby woke up again.  Grrrr…. doesn’t he know mommy wants to sew?  So we end up watching television until he falls asleep.  I repeated this process a total of four times.  But somehow I actually managed to get a bit done.  The two holiday wall hangings I started from scratch and now they just need to be quilted.  The flower wall hanging was already pieced but I finished most of the needle turn applique.  I can’t believe how much I actually got accomplished.  And now I have two more projects crossed off my list and can buy more guilt free!

U.S.A. Oh yeah! February 18, 2010

What an amazing day!  I LOVE the winter Olympics and this year has been great!  My only complaint is that I have to wait until the Olympics are over to see Pam have her baby.  LOL

Tonight I took my quilt back to the quilter.  I showed her the problem areas (all of it) and she immediately apologized and said that she would unpick and re-quilt it.  *fingers crossed*  I was really worried that the entire thing was going to be an argument but it went pleasantly enough.  We’ll just have to wait and see how it comes out.

All Around Sad February 15, 2010

Usually I am thrilled to let you all know where I shop, what I buy, and who makes a great what.  This, unfortunately, is not one of those times.  I picked up my Blush quilt from the quilter on Wednesday and only managed not to sob all the way home because my kids were with me and they already think mommy is crazy enough.  Did I confront this woman?  Nope.  Call me chicken.  I just can’t seem to bring myself to tell anyone that the work they did was so bad that my non-quilting friends could tell something was amiss.  A seam is pulled apart (over-stretching) and the over all design is shaky.  The amount of loops on the back is unbelievable.  Anyway, it really ruined my week and I haven’t yet been able to bring myself to bind that ugly thing.  (At least you can’t see the ugly quilting from the picture)  I did piece a new quilt, quilted it, and I am in the process of finishing up the binding (90+ inches to go!).

The dog ate my homework… February 3, 2010

I am currently mourning the semi-death of my camera.  Anyone know a good repair shop that will fix it for something close to free?  I swear this is the only reason that I have failed to post pictures of my newest quilts!  I finished the binding and I am currently washing the boy quilt I made and I also put together the quilt top of a quilt that I am making for…..  ME!!!  Something I am going to keep!  Oh my!  I made it from Moda’s Blush and I am in love!  Now I just need to decide if I am going to quilt it myself or quilt by check.

Too much ambition? January 28, 2010

Today I was feeling a bit cocky.  Perhaps too cocky.  Cocky enough that I broke my number one rule of never buying backing and batting for a top until it is finished.  I cut out all of my fabric last night and started sewing it together.  It is a simple enough quilt and I knew I could sew it together in an hour or so today.  So I went out and bought everything else I needed while running my 1200 errands today (okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but I swear it is only slight ).  I did finish (okay, almost finished, it still needs borders) the top but there is no way I am going to get around to quilting it until Monday.  *sniff*  Anyway, the fabrics are from Riley Blake’s new line Wheels and you get a sneak peak:

a good start to the new year… January 27, 2010

This is going to be my UFO-free year.  And I am still on track!  Okay, so it is still January,but still….  I completed one quilts for my neighbor who had a little girl on Saturday.  I used the Hushabye line from Moda.  This fabric is so yummy and I am glad that I got some of it before it disappeared from my LQS.

And I finished these two sweet baby quilts from the Baby Love book.  You can purchase the book, fabric, and even see the quilts on display at Material Girls.

Extra points to anyone who noticed my hubby’s pajama pants match one of these quilts!

In the bag January 21, 2010

I have to admit that I normally shy away from bag patterns.  Not only am I not a big fan of linings, but I am not a very careful sewer and I am surprisingly critical of my own work despite the fact that I tend to rush.  I can’t look at anything I make without noticing every flaw.  Tonight I decided to make a bag anyway and I am actually happy with the results.  I took it to an open sewing night at my LQS and it took approx. 2 hours.  Not bad for a Wednesday night.

So sweet! January 10, 2010

I am in love with these baby shoes I made tonight.  Who wouldn’t be?  They were surprisingly simple and quick to make.  I plan on making these for all of my pregnant friends.  Now I’ve just got to figure out how to adjust the pattern for boy shoes.  The pattern is from Curby’s Closet and you can buy both the pattern and the fabric at The Material Girls Quilts.

On another note, I finished quilting three baby quilts this week.  I will post pictures as soon as I finish up the binding and get them washed and dried.

All People Quilt November 22, 2009

Melissa and I completed our quilts for the All People Quilt Quarterly Challenge and got together for pictures today.  Please check them out and “like” them if you do!  Melissa’s quilt is so gorgeous!  I never thought of doing anything like that!  Hers is super frilly and mine is super simple.  Too much fun!

Sneak Peek! November 18, 2009

Here’s the quilt I am currently working on.  I had to take a break to answer the phone so I decided to snap a picture for you guys.  This quilt has been a bit of a nightmare from start to (almost) finish.  Between machine malfunctions, broken needles, and a desperate search for matching thread, I am ready to just be done already.  At least this quilt will be doing double duty.  Not only is it my half of an entry for a contest, it is also my youngest son’s Christmas present.  I am thankful he is so small and I can work on it whenever I want.  Lorelei is also getting a quilt for Christmas but I will have to work on hers in secret.