off in a dash...

So I finished this...


Now I'm off to get some border fabric and will hopefully be back to work on something like this ...

Using these... Happy Weekend!!

the aftermath...

I guess they declared that we are in a spring blizzard. I've seen worse, and it really isn't cold out, but the snow has been blowing to white out conditions. Lucky kids these days, we never got days off for something like this!!
I finished the middle section of the quilt I started yesterday. I like borders on my quilts, so I will have to hit the quilt store to find some fabric for that. On a sad note, I cut my pinkie finger with my rotary cutter. My rotary cutter has a one of those levers that you pull when you use it, so when you let go, it closes. Well after I cut a block I was turning it around and my hand slid into the blade and caught it just right. I don't think it is really as bad as it could have been, but boy did it bleed. After 5 band aids and finally some super glue I got it to stop. Now I know what they mean when they say that those rotary cutters have been known to kill people!!

On today's agenda I plan to start another quilt using some more of my charm packs. I just love those things!!

sewing the day away...

So while it's doing this outside...


I'm doing this...I'm using some of my charm packs from this post, and just slicing my 9 patches apart. My aunt and friend gave a fun lesson last Saturday at quilt guild on this and it's very tempting and fun! It's from this pattern from Eleanor Burns. Try it, you will be hooked too!

belated friday favorite...

Since we were out of town this past week I missed out on the chance to add a friday favorite. My SIL recommended a fun cd/dvd for Max. We quickly snatched up They Might Be Giants 123's at Toys R Us. Max has enjoyed it so far. He starts kicking like crazy when I play it. The dvd has been very fun too. Max actually has 2 favorites from it..here they are:

a finished jacket....

Well, I got my jacket all done and I'm pretty happy with the way it turned out. I haven't tried it on yet, but I'm crossing my fingers that it will look alright. I ended up using the Mary Engelbreit charms pack and really liked the look of it. I think it will make a nice jacket for Easter at least. I'm not much of a seamstress, so I'm glad this one used a sweatshirt as a base. I just made my patchwork..then used the seam ripped sweatshirt as a pattern.
I think in the future I will probably stick to making children's jackets!!

addicted to charms...

I must admit that I have an addiction to charm packs! In the past month I've purchased 7 of them!! I like them for 3 reasons. #1 they are already cut. I HATE HATE HATE cutting fabric. #2 there is such a hip funky variety of them. These are not your grandmother's fabrics. #3 you can have the entire collection of fabrics for a fraction of the price, even if it is just a square piece. I already have plans for the Mix & Mingle group. I'm not sure what I will use the Mary Engelbreit charms for yet, but sometimes it's fun to just have those types of things in your stash!
My sister has been an embroidery fool. She made a Star Wars gift for my brother and then decided to make our little wookie a bib. It's so cute, but I don't want to use it and get all dirty now. I guess we will just use it to ward off that nasty drool that has been falling from Maxton's mouth lately. Can we say "teething"...oh, what a pain!!And I just had to add this beautiful quilt that my mom has made for the quilt store. I love the Pop Parade collection and hope that someday Mom will pass this down to me (wink, wink, nudge, nudge)! I've been the person behind the scenes of their website and just wanted to add that they have kits all made up for this beauty!
That's about all I have for today. I'm working on making a quilted jacket with a sweatshirt base, so hopefully I will have that to share sooner than later.

easter time...

wishing you all a very happy easter!!

a favorite for Friday...

Since Roxanne has started showing off her favorites on fridays, I thought I would join in on the fun. I thought of this favorite yesterday as my mom and I did a little shopping. We decided to take a stroll down the toy isle at Wal-Mart and that's when I saw something I just had to get Maxton. Of course it was something that I had as a child, but just a new version...it was a GLOWORM! I used to love my gloworm, and though it didn't play music I still loved him!

My Gloworm
Maxton's Gloworm

When I think back to my childhood my favorite toy had to have been my My Friend Becky doll. I think I received her in 1984. I still have her to this day and am glad I kept her in my possession. My mom made all sorts of fun clothes for her and though I can't say I still have all of them I know that I have a vast majority of them. So on this friday, here's to Becky!!

fun stuff...

I've been pretty busy lately with being sick and taking out of town trips. I just got back from St. Paul/Minneapolis and had an enjoyable time, but it was my first trip away from Maxton, so it was a little bitter sweet. I scored a cute little table chair set for him from Ikea and can't wait to finish that and sew some cute cushions!

My niece gets baptized in 3 weeks and so I decided to make her a beaded pearl bracelet and found a cute little pink Bible to go with.

The rest of the week will consist of quilting for me. I have to finish a quilt for my mother-in-law. Hopefully I can stay on task, even if it is supposed to be a pretty nice week!!

a gnome for the home...

I've been doing some embroidery lately and made a couple things. Here's a little spin on a lawn gnome and one that can watch over your couch for you! I made it for my friend Brenda...we kind of have that goofy jokey personality and when the two of us get together watch out! Here's to her!

I also made this pillow for her. I was going to make these as my couch pillows, but they just didn't work out with the decor. I added her name and a few flowers and presto, a fun item for her decor. The green pillows behind are the ones I ended up making for my own. They have a lighter colored fabric on the back and look simply marvelous with my Amy Bulter quilt!!

a case of the Valentine's...

Seems like I've really been hit by cupids arrow lately! I've really been into all things red and pink and I think it certainly shows....well, in any case...Happy Valentine's Month!!
FYI...Max has been so smiley happy lately, but I think he wonders what the heck I'm doing when I pull out the camera...he just stares at it like it's some medical device...I'm hoping he grows out of that, but I'm just enjoying his cute expressions for now!

a little one bites the dust...

Here's a little quilt I finished for a certain little 2 year old. Max and I went to her party yesterday and had a great time! I think she liked her pink quilt that is just her size!

stitching away...

It's been a pretty crazy week! Last week I got my new laptop. I've been busy trying to get the programs on it that I need. Still working on my photoshop, so I can get some pictures edited and work on some birth announcements for my new niece. I also had 2 little linus quilts to finish up, a gift for my grandma, and a couple other little projects to complete. In between that time, I've been doing a lot of embroidery. It's my new favorite past time cause I can cuddle with Max on the couch while working on my stitching. Here is a pillow I completed for my grandma.

This is fresh from the hoop, but still not complete.

It will be a little wall hanging for my newest niece Ava. She is so adorable. We went down to Yankton to visit her on her birthday last Saturday and I got some cute shots of her with Max. I have a feeling they are going to be great friends. It's hard to believe there is 2 months and 3 weeks between them. It's easy to see that my baby sure has grown since he was even smaller than her!

quilt, quilt, quilt...

I've been busy preparing for a slough of birthday parties coming up. Saturday I have a first birthday party to attend for my friend's son, who also happens to be my husbands cousin's son. I am going to make Holden a little quilt of his own. Not quite a bed quilt, but just one he can haul around with him. Think more alongs the lines of a Linus blanket. I also have a 2nd birthday party to attend where I plan to do the same thing. I will show pictures of those when they are finished (i still need to make a trip to the quilt store to grab some more boyish stuff). In the meantime, I finished my sister-in-law's carrier quilt, baby curtains, and broke down and just purchased a boppy pillow cover. I figured my main goal is to get the quilt all quilted....but I guess that requires a nudge at my mom to finish her quilt so I can get mine pinned on the quilt frame! We just found out that they will possibly be inducing Julie on friday if she is favorable for that, so sounds like we will have a busy weekend ahead of us!

Some of you know that I am not a fan of any type of warm or hot drink. I've never been one to enjoy that type of thing. I guess my reasoning has always been the fact that I think a liquid should quench your thirst and something warm or hot doesn't do that for me...I blame my track and field days for that....

Well, on 30 Rock the other night I heard a quote that I will like to use to describe my unloving: "Oh, I don't drink coffee.I don't drink hot liquids of any kind.That's the Devil's temperature." That was just about the coolest thing I had heard in a long time!!

in anticipation...

I've been very busy quilting lately. My sister-in-law is due to have her baby in the next couple of weeks, so it was my duty to make the quilt, curtains, boppy cover, and little quilt for her carrier. It's been so much fun! I finished the top yesterday. I need to get it quilted, but plan to put it on the frame and use the Grand Quilter as I'm not a huge fan of rolling it up and trying to quilt it on my machine. I have quilt guild on saturday, so I'm excited to take what I have done along. Other than that, I've been busy doing my "doodle stitching"...it is so much fun! The book is awesome, I recommend it to everyone!!

I had won a pattern at Closeline Club, so I used that pattern to make this quilt. It only requires 8 fat quarters, and then of course border and backing. It was a real fun and easy quilt to make!

My sister-in-law lives on a ranch. They don't know if they are having a boy or a girl, so I used Robert Kaufman's The Cow Says Moo fabric.

I thought I would throw in a pic of my little guy. He is growing in leaps and bounds daily! I can't believe he is already 10 weeks old. Where have the days gone? He did quite well with his 2 month shots and is now up to 12 pounds. Each and every day I see his personality come out. What a character!

stitching the day away...

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! We had a great time with family and spent lots of time together. I was lucky enough to get some fun books and today was a day to work on a few things. I made an apron for a friend and also did some hand stitching. This is the wonderful book I played with

here is the apron i made:

the can saga continues...

In the true spirit of Christmas I decided to make my nieces and nephew something to keep them busy during their school break. I'm hoping that we do recieve the snowfall the weathermen have been promising! I threw together a kit to make a snowman. I saw one a couple weeks ago, but it came with a hefty price tag, so I made my own.

I threw in an old black derby hat, some wooden round things with dowels in them and painted black. I figured it would be easy to stab them into the snow. My mom fashioned a couple carrots for me out of tin foil and paper mache clay. I jazzed these up with some paint and threw in a scarf.

I think it turned out quite cute, hopefully while I'm visiting this weekend we can try it out!

can-o-fun...

My friends threw a shower for Max and one of the coolest things he recieved was an altered paint can filled with some cute outfits. My friend Carissa decorated one to match his room and it turned out super cute. I decided to get some paint cans of my own to try out. My sister's birthday is on tuesday, so I made her a can filled with cupcakes, candles, balloons, and party blowers. I think it turned out quite cute too. I plan to make my nieces and nephew a snowman making kit for christmas complete with a top hat, scarf, carrot nose, and all the trimmings for the eyes and buttons. I am going to make a paint can to contain all that fun stuff too. I think this will become somewhat addicting!!!