Yesterday, after a fun trip to the city for Chipotle and chocolate, we all got home and tucked in the door was another Quilt for Kids fabric packet. CUTE FABRIC! Again, I'm pretty sure that if I saw this fabric at the store, I'd walk right past it, but it will still make a fabulous blanket for someone that needs it.
I also bought a little bit more fabric for myself. Pictures to come later.
And aside from getting locked out of the house, I had a great time yesterday. Had a great model for some portraits and they turned out fantastically.
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
PROM DRESS!
When my baby sister texted me that she was going to prom, I totally flashbacked and got EMBARASSINGLY excited for her. I kind of feel that I'm reliving my high school days by being close to her, and this was NO exception.
I got really excited and asked her to go prom dress shopping with me. Again, it should have been the other way around; either she would have asked me to go with her, or the realistic point of her just going with her friends. Who really wants to go shopping with your older sister? Isn't that like taking your dad?
But then one morning she sent me a few frantic texts of pictures, her wearing different dresses and which one should she get? What jewelry goes with it? What could her date wear if she got this dress or that dress?
OooOoh! I was so excited that she was asking me. Thoughts of beautiful dresses flashed in my eyes and my mind started reeling with things to add or do to whatever dress to make it super trendy and unique. She had to bring me down a couple notches.
Being the classy chick that she is, she wants to be more "sharp" and "classy" and "sophisticated", rather than "I-want-people-to-remember-my-ultra-trendy-just-like-the-great-80's-poufy-sleeve" for prom. She found this GREAT medium-toned, brown dress with pintucks all the way to the ground and a beautiful ribbon at an empire waist. Only problem was that it was just a little too long and even though she's convinced she needs 5" heels, she still needed some alteration to the length.
We went shopping today for shoes for her, and even though she didn't find any, she got a few good leads. THEN we found the find of the CENTURY: her date's tie. It is my understanding that he already has a suit that he wanted to wear, but he doesn't know how to really coordinate with a girl's dress [makes sense... boys...], so he asked her to help him figure out what to wear. I must say, I'm pretty impressed with the image in my head of these two prom-goers. I'm excited for her!
So, tonight was all about the dress. Who knew I could do alterations on prom dresses?
I got really excited and asked her to go prom dress shopping with me. Again, it should have been the other way around; either she would have asked me to go with her, or the realistic point of her just going with her friends. Who really wants to go shopping with your older sister? Isn't that like taking your dad?
But then one morning she sent me a few frantic texts of pictures, her wearing different dresses and which one should she get? What jewelry goes with it? What could her date wear if she got this dress or that dress?
OooOoh! I was so excited that she was asking me. Thoughts of beautiful dresses flashed in my eyes and my mind started reeling with things to add or do to whatever dress to make it super trendy and unique. She had to bring me down a couple notches.
Being the classy chick that she is, she wants to be more "sharp" and "classy" and "sophisticated", rather than "I-want-people-to-remember-my-ultra-trendy-just-like-the-great-80's-poufy-sleeve" for prom. She found this GREAT medium-toned, brown dress with pintucks all the way to the ground and a beautiful ribbon at an empire waist. Only problem was that it was just a little too long and even though she's convinced she needs 5" heels, she still needed some alteration to the length.
We went shopping today for shoes for her, and even though she didn't find any, she got a few good leads. THEN we found the find of the CENTURY: her date's tie. It is my understanding that he already has a suit that he wanted to wear, but he doesn't know how to really coordinate with a girl's dress [makes sense... boys...], so he asked her to help him figure out what to wear. I must say, I'm pretty impressed with the image in my head of these two prom-goers. I'm excited for her!
So, tonight was all about the dress. Who knew I could do alterations on prom dresses?
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Pity Party: Long Post Ahead
Yesterday was a ROUGH day...
Love left early for work, so I started early on my sewing.
I was already feeling alone and depressed; a little to do with being home and constantly working on things, but not really seeing TONS of progress. That and my usual group of people that I talk to everyday have slowly been online less and less, including all the normal blogs I read haven't been updated as frequently lately. So, with no one to talk to and nothing to read, I set myself down with a cup of sweet tea, an old black and white movie and got to sewing. Only to spill the ENTIRE glass of tea on the spare bed as I swooshed fabric around the room. Sad.
So I took apart the bed and started the laundry. And sat back down to sew.
Now, the piece I'm working on now isn't high on the difficulty scale, but it sure is putsy and takes FOREVER. It is slow moving work and after my machine decided to chunk its way through a few seams, I had to stop and pull out the seam-ripper.
Frustrated, I checked back online to see if any blogs had been updated or if anyone was online to talk to. Nope. No changes.
Then, an idea hit me. If I want to really get into the photography biz, I'm going to need somewhere else to print and help organize photos. And then I found it. A company that will sell, print, mail, and deposit photos and money for me. I know, sounds too good to be true, right? I did a lot of research. It is a pretty solid company that has been around for YEARS and while I figured it would cost me something, I wouldn't have to deal with orders or money or CREDIT CARD FEES. WhoOo!
I got really excited about it and REALLY wanted to spill my guts to someone about how excited I was, but remember? No one was online. Love was at work (and had forgotten his phone at home). And so I sat there. Wallowing in my own sadness that no one could be excited with me.
Pity party commence!
I turned back to my project I'm working on, but again, having problems with the needle and the ca-chunk ca-chunk of the machine made me stop. I grabbed my computer and decided to Google solutions while watching some TV.
In case you weren't aware, there is NOTHING on TV on Friday nights. So, with nothing to watch, and nothing to sew, and no one to talk to, I was getting really frustrated.
And somewhere in there, my mind drifted to where I want to take a photography business. What would I like to do and what would I need to start off with. I'm pretty confident with my dSLR, but in my online searching last night, I TOTALLY fell in love with a new lens. Then I thought, "Well, maybe I can convince Love that with some of our tax refund, I could get this new lens and get my photography business off the ground; make some actual money off of it."
And then Love FINALLY came home, but had other things on his mind. So... I find myself still frustrated and dreaming.
But I currently have a few photography gigs lined up, so... that's a bonus. Senior pictures, family portraits and sporting events; here I come.
Love left early for work, so I started early on my sewing.
I was already feeling alone and depressed; a little to do with being home and constantly working on things, but not really seeing TONS of progress. That and my usual group of people that I talk to everyday have slowly been online less and less, including all the normal blogs I read haven't been updated as frequently lately. So, with no one to talk to and nothing to read, I set myself down with a cup of sweet tea, an old black and white movie and got to sewing. Only to spill the ENTIRE glass of tea on the spare bed as I swooshed fabric around the room. Sad.
So I took apart the bed and started the laundry. And sat back down to sew.
Now, the piece I'm working on now isn't high on the difficulty scale, but it sure is putsy and takes FOREVER. It is slow moving work and after my machine decided to chunk its way through a few seams, I had to stop and pull out the seam-ripper.
Frustrated, I checked back online to see if any blogs had been updated or if anyone was online to talk to. Nope. No changes.
Then, an idea hit me. If I want to really get into the photography biz, I'm going to need somewhere else to print and help organize photos. And then I found it. A company that will sell, print, mail, and deposit photos and money for me. I know, sounds too good to be true, right? I did a lot of research. It is a pretty solid company that has been around for YEARS and while I figured it would cost me something, I wouldn't have to deal with orders or money or CREDIT CARD FEES. WhoOo!
I got really excited about it and REALLY wanted to spill my guts to someone about how excited I was, but remember? No one was online. Love was at work (and had forgotten his phone at home). And so I sat there. Wallowing in my own sadness that no one could be excited with me.
Pity party commence!
I turned back to my project I'm working on, but again, having problems with the needle and the ca-chunk ca-chunk of the machine made me stop. I grabbed my computer and decided to Google solutions while watching some TV.
In case you weren't aware, there is NOTHING on TV on Friday nights. So, with nothing to watch, and nothing to sew, and no one to talk to, I was getting really frustrated.
And somewhere in there, my mind drifted to where I want to take a photography business. What would I like to do and what would I need to start off with. I'm pretty confident with my dSLR, but in my online searching last night, I TOTALLY fell in love with a new lens. Then I thought, "Well, maybe I can convince Love that with some of our tax refund, I could get this new lens and get my photography business off the ground; make some actual money off of it."
And then Love FINALLY came home, but had other things on his mind. So... I find myself still frustrated and dreaming.
But I currently have a few photography gigs lined up, so... that's a bonus. Senior pictures, family portraits and sporting events; here I come.
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Moving Right Along
So, I got this quilt finished. I machine quilted it with inspiration from a few different quilters' blogs that I read. I did a triple diagonal stitch to the right and a single diagonal to the left and finished the borders with a nice 1/4 inch double fold and blanket stitch. I've discovered how much I LOVE the blanket stitch. Pretty impressed. Maybe someday soon, I'll try a different binding, but I just love the way these look.
Now, I'm moving back to this quilt. Quick refresher:
Now, I'm moving back to this quilt. Quick refresher:
Monday, March 22, 2010
Bugs {AND} Birds
I started this blanket a few weeks ago. 
My Mom has a quilt that is a bunch of blues and greens and other random colors pieced together, like this. The white looking pieces have the little birds on them; fabric that I found when I was up visiting my family in Wisconsin. I used this quilt as my teaching quilt for my friend who is learning to quilt.
My Mom has a quilt that is a bunch of blues and greens and other random colors pieced together, like this. The white looking pieces have the little birds on them; fabric that I found when I was up visiting my family in Wisconsin. I used this quilt as my teaching quilt for my friend who is learning to quilt. 
I've also seen several quilts in the blogging world that really inspired me to do small squares. They can be so simple, but they really have an impact and can look so stunning. I don't think I'd quite classify mine in the "stunning" category, but it was definitely fun to make. It is a decent size baby blanket. I just love making them because my attention span usually ends at 50 inches square.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Quilt for Kids
In my previous post, I said I did a quilt for the Quilt for Kids project. I am VERY excited to say that I'm done with it (in record setting time, I'd say) and nearly ready to send it back in the mail. Just needs to be washed and dried.
The Quilt for Kids, Inc. is a program that takes donated fabric and fabric that would otherwise have landed in a landfill and make quilts for kids that are hospitalized, in poverty stricken families, or who have been victims of crime. Their website has stories of children keeping their "security blankie" on their lap as they appear in court or on their bed as they receive their next dose of chemo.
Every blanket has been handmade by volunteer quilters and Downy "Touch of Comfort" has now partnered with Quilt for Kids to provide a monetary donation for every specially labeled product they sell.
Yep, this was a pretty good use of my National Quilting Day. And in case you can't tell, the blue squares on the inside of the quilt have bright yellow duckies on them.
National Quilting Day
It is my understanding that yesterday was National Quilting Day. Now, I am WELL aware that it is kinda goofy. It is just a day to make people appreciate quilting, right?
But in an unrelated purpose, I took yesterday as my day to help another person learn to appreciate the art of sewing. Years ago, my Mom did this for me. In fact, I'm pretty sure that sewing is meant to be in my blood. It kind of comes naturally to me, but maybe that is because I have at least four generations of sew-ists in my family. I'm not sure that I'd call them all "quilters" or "seamstresses", but there it is more a combo of both.
So, I took my friend fabric shopping yesterday to help her pick out her fabric for her first quilt. I was a little worried about the instant gratification piece because she was talking about making a baby onesie too. I'm kinda chicken to venture out too far from "easy", so this worried me. Deciding to start basic, she picked out some ADORABLE blues and browns for a baby quilt.
My project yesterday was a quilt for the Downy Touch of Comfort project. They have partnered with Quilts for Kids to provide handmade quilts to children in hospitals. I requested to receive a quilt packet of "rescued", or otherwise thrown out, fabric and turn it into a quilt. I'll post more on this next.
Anyway, it was a good day. Happy National Quilting Day!
But in an unrelated purpose, I took yesterday as my day to help another person learn to appreciate the art of sewing. Years ago, my Mom did this for me. In fact, I'm pretty sure that sewing is meant to be in my blood. It kind of comes naturally to me, but maybe that is because I have at least four generations of sew-ists in my family. I'm not sure that I'd call them all "quilters" or "seamstresses", but there it is more a combo of both.
So, I took my friend fabric shopping yesterday to help her pick out her fabric for her first quilt. I was a little worried about the instant gratification piece because she was talking about making a baby onesie too. I'm kinda chicken to venture out too far from "easy", so this worried me. Deciding to start basic, she picked out some ADORABLE blues and browns for a baby quilt.
My project yesterday was a quilt for the Downy Touch of Comfort project. They have partnered with Quilts for Kids to provide handmade quilts to children in hospitals. I requested to receive a quilt packet of "rescued", or otherwise thrown out, fabric and turn it into a quilt. I'll post more on this next.
Anyway, it was a good day. Happy National Quilting Day!
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Itching for Spring
I'm definitely not the ONLY one itching for spring to come fast!
Vicki at Spun Sugar Quilts is having a Botany giveway, maybe in the hopes that winter will not relapse in her part of the States like it has here. Woke up to another couple inches of snow...
I'm an avid reader of her blog because she posts great tutorials and always has beautiful color combinations.
Vicki at Spun Sugar Quilts is having a Botany giveway, maybe in the hopes that winter will not relapse in her part of the States like it has here. Woke up to another couple inches of snow...
I'm an avid reader of her blog because she posts great tutorials and always has beautiful color combinations.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Not Quite Nesting
Nesting by definition is when expectant mothers start preparing a dwelling for their kids. Well, I'm not having kids [soon to have a puppy], but I'm finally getting somewhere with setting up the house. I've been working on this for awhile, but I'm finally seeing some finished products. And I like it.
This is now what the dining room wall looks like. I guess I won't be taking any more pictures of quilts up against that wall...
Then, yesterday while Love and I were tooling around town running errands, we came across this chair. We are constantly scrounging for places for people to sit when we have company, and one less camp chair in the living room makes me smile.
Belated St. Paddy's
Wear green? Check.
Two hour wait at Irish restaurant? Check.
Spend evening with friends? Check.
Drink beer? Check.
Eat Irish foods? Check.
St. Paddy's Day. Priceless.
Two hour wait at Irish restaurant? Check.
Spend evening with friends? Check.
Drink beer? Check.
Eat Irish foods? Check.
St. Paddy's Day. Priceless.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Nothing...
I haven't had much to show for the last couple of weeks. It has all been about getting things done that NEEDED to get done. Another part of not writing is spending time with Love, and then I get distracted, and never get anything done. Meh, I'd rather spend time with him.
Spring is definitely in the air and it shows around our house. This past weekend, after spending some time with great friends and great food, we started to springify our lives.
Love is definitely a birder, so the birdfeeders have been moved to a new location and are back in action! Last year, we had them in our front garden, but it made it REALLY hard to keep the garden under control, so they've been moved to the backyard.
The garden has been started! Not the outside one, but the inside one. I've gotten our herb garden started and hopefully I'll have better luck with it than last year. Last year, the garden was an epic fail. I have to laugh because when the neighbor lady saw me out in the front garden last spring, she ran over to introduce herself and gush about how it has been YEARS since someone made this yard look pretty. The joke was on her because I've got NO green thumbs and the entire garden [read: flower garden] was the biggest weed patch I've ever seen.
This year, we're hoping to plant some perennial wildflowers in the front flower garden and try a few tomatoes, peppers, and peas on the side. We'll see what happens...
The nice weather also gave me the opportunity to head outside and finish spray painting the empty picture frames I want to put in the dining room to finish it off. I've been waiting and waiting to get that done. That project has been sitting on the floor STARING at me; begging me to finish it. Frames painted: check! Paint dried: pending!
Lastly, I was asked if I would provide one of my photographs to an auction to raise money for a mission group that is headed to Africa. This is the same mission group that I REALLY wanted to be a part of last fall, but didn't have the time or funding to make it work. I would still LOVE to go, but this is the best way that I can support them right now. And just to show how much I'd love to give them what I could, I am sending three matted and signed photographs in the mail tomorrow. I hope they go to great homes!
Other than that, random chores keep me busy. I am anxiously preparing the house for our new puppy. Have I said that I'm SUPER EXCITED about it?!
Spring is definitely in the air and it shows around our house. This past weekend, after spending some time with great friends and great food, we started to springify our lives.
Love is definitely a birder, so the birdfeeders have been moved to a new location and are back in action! Last year, we had them in our front garden, but it made it REALLY hard to keep the garden under control, so they've been moved to the backyard.
The garden has been started! Not the outside one, but the inside one. I've gotten our herb garden started and hopefully I'll have better luck with it than last year. Last year, the garden was an epic fail. I have to laugh because when the neighbor lady saw me out in the front garden last spring, she ran over to introduce herself and gush about how it has been YEARS since someone made this yard look pretty. The joke was on her because I've got NO green thumbs and the entire garden [read: flower garden] was the biggest weed patch I've ever seen.
This year, we're hoping to plant some perennial wildflowers in the front flower garden and try a few tomatoes, peppers, and peas on the side. We'll see what happens...
The nice weather also gave me the opportunity to head outside and finish spray painting the empty picture frames I want to put in the dining room to finish it off. I've been waiting and waiting to get that done. That project has been sitting on the floor STARING at me; begging me to finish it. Frames painted: check! Paint dried: pending!
Lastly, I was asked if I would provide one of my photographs to an auction to raise money for a mission group that is headed to Africa. This is the same mission group that I REALLY wanted to be a part of last fall, but didn't have the time or funding to make it work. I would still LOVE to go, but this is the best way that I can support them right now. And just to show how much I'd love to give them what I could, I am sending three matted and signed photographs in the mail tomorrow. I hope they go to great homes!
Other than that, random chores keep me busy. I am anxiously preparing the house for our new puppy. Have I said that I'm SUPER EXCITED about it?!
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Friday, March 12, 2010
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Puppy Prep
What do puppies need?
Leashes!
Last night I set to work to finish the puppy bed and matching leash. I'm in LOVE with plaid.
Leashes!
Last night I set to work to finish the puppy bed and matching leash. I'm in LOVE with plaid.
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
PUPPY!!
WE ARE GETTING A PUPPY!
That's right! A Puppy!
The puppy talk started a long time ago for Love and I. Then, a couple of months ago, we SERIOUSLY started talking about puppies. What do we like, what don't we like, how will a puppy handle the bird, how will the bird handle a puppy, what kinds of puppies are good for families, what is our purpose for a puppy, do we want a working dog or a couch potato, etc... etc.. etc..
My Mom has always listened as we talked about puppies, but ultimately, I'm pretty sure she thought we were just dreaming and all full of talk because we never really ACTED on getting a puppy.
Then, last weekend as we were driving up to visit her and the rest of my family, she called and said that a woman she works with is having an accidental litter of pups and wants them to go to families that will take care of them instead of sending them to the pound. We said YES! YES! YES!
Our soon-to-be puppy isn't born yet, but should arrive in April sometime. So, start the puppy-proofing for the house!
In light of the puppy excitement, I'm starting the search for fabric to make me a "Scottie". Pretty exciting!
That's right! A Puppy!
The puppy talk started a long time ago for Love and I. Then, a couple of months ago, we SERIOUSLY started talking about puppies. What do we like, what don't we like, how will a puppy handle the bird, how will the bird handle a puppy, what kinds of puppies are good for families, what is our purpose for a puppy, do we want a working dog or a couch potato, etc... etc.. etc..
My Mom has always listened as we talked about puppies, but ultimately, I'm pretty sure she thought we were just dreaming and all full of talk because we never really ACTED on getting a puppy.
Then, last weekend as we were driving up to visit her and the rest of my family, she called and said that a woman she works with is having an accidental litter of pups and wants them to go to families that will take care of them instead of sending them to the pound. We said YES! YES! YES!
Our soon-to-be puppy isn't born yet, but should arrive in April sometime. So, start the puppy-proofing for the house!
In light of the puppy excitement, I'm starting the search for fabric to make me a "Scottie". Pretty exciting!
In Need Of Professional Help
So...
I said that I was going to get motivated. When I sat down at the sewing machine yesterday, I WANTED to make the puppy bed. The design I wanted is really simple with a ripstop nylon bladder of sorts to hold the fluff, but a zipping, removable case to put it in for decoration and warmth. I picked a BEAUTIFUL plaid that is a cream and teal color. Very excited.
But.
As I was sitting at my sewing table, stuffing the bladder full of fluff, an AMAZING idea came to my head. Where it started, I really have no clue, but I realized that I would like to use up some of the scraps from my previous projects. This pile of scraps are [read: were] pieces of every shape and size, but after picking through my collection, I thought I could make something of a quilt with the blues and purples.
I'm not one for puzzles all the time, but whoa. I went at it and this is really nothing but a puzzle. I think I'll call this one Pieces of Me. As I was working my way through this quilt, I realized that it is almost a metaphor for my life right now. And I like it. I'll have finished pictures of it later. It is taking me a little longer to quilt it than I thought it would.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Time To Get Motivated!
There are a LOT of days that I think to myself, "Just get something done." That should be my motto until I actually get something done. If that was my motto, then I wouldn't feel guilty about not quilting or sewing or anything.
On my "To Do" list:
- lathe tool kit
- doggie bed
- collar and leash
- finish "coin" quilt
- finish "squares" quilt
- attempt to make a "scottie" stuffed animal
- find fabric for Christmas tree skirt
I think that is it for now, but I also have a few other quilts that I could EASILY get distracted with and start.
On my "To Do" list:
- lathe tool kit
- doggie bed
- collar and leash
- finish "coin" quilt
- finish "squares" quilt
- attempt to make a "scottie" stuffed animal
- find fabric for Christmas tree skirt
I think that is it for now, but I also have a few other quilts that I could EASILY get distracted with and start.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Marissa's Quilt
I've been getting MUCH better at my corners.... thought I'd show them off a bit. This is Marissa's Quilt finished.
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Life In Black And White
[bad manners owl is making you feel awkward. mr. owl sat for hours watching me through my living room window]
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Another Sneak Peek
I took a few days off from sewing. Just had other things to get done, but then I had a hard time going right back to the projects I was working on because I had some more fabric and ideas calling to me.
I thought about it and since it is easy, I thought I'd start this new one to get me back in the groove of sewing and in the creative mindset to puzzle through some of the complications i'm having with the other projects.
So, without further ado....
Marissa's Quilt.
It looks a little wrinkly because I haven't pressed it very well. And I also haven't trimmed up the sides. From here, I'm going to do a fleece back to make a heavy blanket. I'm pretty excited about how this one is turning out.
And then there's the NEW project...
I started by using left over fabric from Aurora's Blanket and then I realized that I had to buy more gray, white and navy to finish the whole quilt. I LOVE the way this one is turning out. I'm doing all squares, and all the center blocks are the same size, but the borders on each one are different sizes. I have 4 different blocks in all and a total of 9 blocks for each style.
I thought about it and since it is easy, I thought I'd start this new one to get me back in the groove of sewing and in the creative mindset to puzzle through some of the complications i'm having with the other projects.
So, without further ado....
Marissa's Quilt.
It looks a little wrinkly because I haven't pressed it very well. And I also haven't trimmed up the sides. From here, I'm going to do a fleece back to make a heavy blanket. I'm pretty excited about how this one is turning out.
And then there's the NEW project...
I started by using left over fabric from Aurora's Blanket and then I realized that I had to buy more gray, white and navy to finish the whole quilt. I LOVE the way this one is turning out. I'm doing all squares, and all the center blocks are the same size, but the borders on each one are different sizes. I have 4 different blocks in all and a total of 9 blocks for each style.
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