A Special Thank You to Karen!

To Karen, from Karen't Sewing Room, who taught me now to add a button on the sidebar of this blog! Such a simple thing to do and yet if she hadn't explained it I still wouldn't know :)

So Thank You Karen I truely appreciate you taking the time to help a fellow blogger!

Fairy House for Mom!

My mom has been making fairy gardens for her yard. She has 3 so far and has been wanting a fairy house to go with it! So here is what I made her with the help of my bestie. Elizabeth put alot of the bark on the lower part of the house (she's great at the puzzle work of making odd shapes fit together) and helped with some of the moss on the inside (you can't see it but we wanted the inside to look as good as the outside and I just couldn't get the moss just right without her). I did the roof, moss, and clothes line. It was alot of fun to make :) The next one will be for Payton and I to do!  I'm glad we did this one without him though, I know it sounds mean. There was a big learning curve and I know a couple parts that will require lots of adult supervision and which ones are kid friendly.

 This is the closest to what it looks like in person.

You can't have a fairy house without a clothes line :)

 View of the back

Trying to get a shot of the birds nest I made and the little bird that came from hobby lobby! The bark came out of the back yard!!

Memory Quilt

This has not been in the works very long. Stacie messaged me and asked if I would make a memory quilt, well 2 actually, out of Charlie's dad's t-shirts. Of course I said yes! I let them know about the 3 projects I have promised to finish first and made sure they understand that I'm NOT a professional!!! All the above was fine, I know it will be started before June and since they aren't really quilt size but more a smaller wall hanging size that they want, it should go quickly as soon as everything is picked out and stabalizer is ironed on ect.

Aside from size and a few things they really want incorporated into the wall hanging, I have freedom to make it however I think it will look best, any pattern or simple squares, I can add regular fabric for sashing in any colors I choose. Complete freedom...... shaking in my boots here lol. I don't know why but complete freedom on a project that will be really special to someone makes me nervous, I just want it to be perfect!

Maybe I'll see if Jodie can get ahold of a picture or two of him that I can add. I'll have to call, since if I do that I want it to be a surprise!

So here are the shirts I have to work with! I really see these working really well together :) I'm contemplating a Star Crossed block, not sure though will have to think on it more. If you have any ideas feel free to add, I can use all the help I can get! The good thing is there's plenty of time to plan before it's started since there are a few other projects to finish first!

The Mad Dash!

It's almost May! Oh no! I'm feeling the pressure of up and coming deadlines. I'm not behind where I planned to be. The snag is that Payton is all better now and we aren't. I know we taught him to share but still, this is not fun. Life must go on though, parents don't get sick days! There is so much to be done and so many things coming up!

Actually Payton has allergy testing on Monday to see what he is allergic to (I'm betting on ragweed and pollen type allergies since that's what I have and his flare up same time as mine).

When we go on Monday, we'll also be getting a referral to an ear, nose, and throat specialist. Payton is tongue tied. The doc doesn't think it's strictly necessary since it doesn't drastically effect his speech..... I beg to differ, we worked a lot on his speech to prevent that but that's not why I want it fixed. It caused a gap in his baby teeth, no bit those are baby teeth they fall out. Which teeth did he loose first lol the bottom two of course and I'm concerned it will make just as big a gap in his permanent teeth.

Now, don't go thinking I want a kid that looks perfect and isn't unique. I have no problem with it from that standpoint. It bothers him that he can't stick out his tongue like the other kids, and his Dad and I have talked about it quite a bit. What happens when he's a bit older and *gasp* kisses a girl, will it make him feel inadequate? How will he handle being teased at school with the slight speach problems due to it not to mention what is likely to become a decent sized gap in this bottom teeth. Is it better to see about having this tiny issue clipped now than having to worry later if it would have been better to take care of it? Nick and I agree, it is worth looking into now instead of possibly waiting until he's older and has problem from it. Although, if they have to put him under to do it, I don't think it would be worth the risk. I want to know a professionals opinion. What are the pro's and con's from their point of view, what would happen if we did decide to say yes?

Now I have to go run some errends and work on a project I promised my mom..... It's not quilty though it is crafty. Payton and I are making her a Fairy House for her Fairy Gardens :)

I'll post later if we find anything for it!

I'm also planning on working on and the two cross quilts for Charisma, I actually have 1 finished except for sewing on one more side of the boarder. The second one I'm finishing up the 4 patch blocks I have 3/5 of them done. I don't know why it seems to fly from there, a little nervous about the boarder on the second one though, she sent a directional boarder an I've never done one before. Nothing ventured nothing gained though right? Here's the pattern she sent for it, it was a cross-stitch pattern origionally. Here's her cross quilt tutorial!

How do you post a button?

I have a couple buttons I'd love to add to the sidebar. Here is one. It's the button to Leah Day's free motion quilt along. Do you know how to add it?

<a href="http://www.freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/p/free-motion-quilt-along.html" target="_blank"><img alt="Free Motion Quilt Along" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq7I9zzUoprIY3mSd6q8I5A5fzv_EBKiMDLKGsPv2T4G6jthLc9L6mkGt95RHP04XzaksndHsoc0zoR2o_Bs7ZzXN0avHIj7VcSFH0oWw2mybM68M3fh-PL07kFt3P5FzLHaU5VkEtnf-S/s380/ad+quilt+along+button.jpeg"/></a>

I have no idea :) I do know Payton and I just went to get his hair cut. It's a bit shorter on top than I wanted but it doesn't look bad, he loves it and hair will grow right? Right! Now a bit of blogging before T-Ball tonight! Poor kid had to miss the parade Saturday and his first game so tonights game is his first. Go Cubs! Lol....... they don't keep score in t-ball, I think that's a good thing. Let the kids enjoy the game before they feel the sting of defeat and the exultation of a win! I'm going to piece some more hexies together while there so long as the wind isn't to bad.

Here's our boy eating reeses pieces and excited about his new haircut. Don't mind the lack of shirt, he started complaining it was itchy from the bits of hair and promptly took it off.

I almost forgot, he's up to 2 lost teeth now. He lost the two bottom front teeth first :)

Liebster Blog Award

Marelize Ries over at New Beginnings  http://marelize-ries.blogspot.com/ awarded me with the Liebster Blog Award. It's for bloggers with under 100 followers to help them get some from what I understand. After you have it given to you, you are supposed to send it to 5 others with the same qualifications. I'm really excited! Not only is it cool to get an award it's neat that there are actually some people that read my blog!

First of all.... Thank You Marelize!!!!

Here are the 5 people I'm sending the award to!

The Quilt Dasher - http://quiltdasher.blogspot.com/
My Corner Quilts- http://mycornerquilts.blogspot.com/
A Passion for Applique- http://apassionforapplique.blogspot.com/
Quilting Sewing Granny - http://grandmarockton.blogspot.com/
A Passionate Quilter- http://apassionatequilter.blogspot.com/

Votes are in! And the winner is....

Here is the update on the poll I took here, facebook, and the quilting board.

Results for the layout of the quilt:

Single layer flower- 84
Mosaic style - 23
Double layer flower- 91

Double layer flower it is!!!!

LQS trip ~ Sick kid ~ Nails ~ and a Movie :)

Warning: this may not go in order of the title lol :)

Payton has had a cough, that I assumed was due to sinus issues. I was wrong..... Poor kid ended up getting sick 6 times in 3 hours the night before last. Needless to say he went to the doc. ASAP! He has a *don't mind my spelling here* Gastro-intestional Virus. Personally, I think stomach bug would have worked just fine but I'm quoting the doc. The only med he gets is phenegran for the nausea. Doc said anything else would just irritate his stomach more, so liquids and easily digested foods this weekend and he gets to miss school (which means he also has to miss the baseball parade he was supposed to walk in, not fun). To make things a little less.. you can't you can't you can't... we stopped at the movies store and got a couple new releases and since it was Thursday we got a couple dollar movies free. I love Family Video, they are best on prices and deals around here!

Now at this point you may be picturing a child that is miserable and so sick that he just lays around watching toons. Do not be fooled!!! Payton has just as much energy as any other time, he doesn't act sick in any way nothing hurts (except his stomach after he ate "real food"). The virus is contagious for a few days, ie. the no school and being in public, mostly if someone eats or drinks after him or is in close proximity for awhile. Quick trips where he isn't close to people is deemed O.K. with emphesis on the not being up close to people.
This leads into the LQS trip because, I needed more of the black batik. Yes, I underestimated how much it would take..... by about 2 yards. Ok Nancy J's had quite a bit on the bolt when I got it so I'll just call em up and make sure there's plenty. That way I can pick it up when Nick is home to watch kiddo. Nope, they had 1 3/4 yd. on the bolt and 2 FQ's......... they can hold it for me if I'm headed to pick it up. Ahhhh!  I have a sick kid and really don't want to have him out to much, even if he is feeling fine it just doesn't seem right. Fastforward to me being a "bad mommy" and taking him with me anyway, since I'm already likely to catch his sick I don't want him infecting anyone else so a babysitter is out and his dad was golfing (he had it planned for oh about 3 weeks and I was not going to ask him to cancle!)
Knowing how mommy is when he is sick he asks "Mommy, since I have to go with you to the fabric store do I get to pick  out some fabric to?"...... Well of course bub, I wouldn't make you go and not let you pick something.

Ignoring the fact that he has 2-3 quilts already planned and fabric picked out... Yes, my 6 year old is a fabriholic and loves planning his own quilts, he just wants mommy to do most of the sewing ;) He'll make the pillows. * I am not making that up, I promise. He has informed me that he likes making the pillows but I need to make the quilts. Hahahah. I love that kid. : D *
Where was I? Oh yea, We got to the fabric store just before closing (it's a 30 min trip to get there) and they had the batik ready, payton picked out his two choices from the clearance bin no less! I have taught that boy well lol always looking for a deal first. He got 1/4 yard of a blue flame and 1/2 yard of a green and grey stripe. No worries he wants them for seperate pillows :) All things considered I got off pretty easy this time, last time  took him to a fabric store with me he ended up getting more fabric than I did!

So home we went with out pretties in tow. A happy boy in the back seat and a happy mom in the front. We made it back home before Nick finished his golf game! Not by much but I'll take it :)
When Nick got home we got supper and popped in a movie Payton and I had rented earlier. We watched " We Bought A Zoo" Great movie! All of us loved it, I was a little surprised he sat throught eh entire thing and didn't lose interest, double brownie points for the movie :).
After that it was bed time. Payton and Nick went up to bed to sleep, I just tucked in the boy and came back downstairs. Elizabeth wanted to do my nails. She downloaded this really neat app on her phone that shows different designs and how to make them. After both of us had awesome nails to show off today I went to bed to! I feel like I should put the end :) If you read through all of that Congratz!

Poll: Which layout do you like best?

I finished the three differnt layouts for this quilt. I'm putting the poll on here, my facebook, and the quilting board. I'll tally the votes this Saturday and that is the layout this quilt will be done in! I only used a few of the colors in each of the layouts, it made it easier to keep them organized. Without further ado here are the 3 choices:

1) Double layer

2) Single layer

3) Mosaic style

Finished Basting Hexies!!

Basting is Finished!!!! Well, I should clarify, is finished with what I have. More of the black batik is going to be needed. Yay, that means a trip to the LQS :) I do belive this means the tally is over 1,000 hexies now, not sure because counting is not very appealing lol. Didn't think I'd have time to post until Monday, it's kind of nice being a day ahead instead of a day late.

 Here they are all done! I had to put the black hexies sideways, there are to many to stand up.

I didn't tie it off since I know there's going to be more, hopefully soon.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend :)

I didn't get a chance to get back on and update sooner. So later it is! I did get all of the colors finished and have started on the black hexies for inbetween. When I have enough finished to give a good idea of how the layouts will look I'll post and take a poll. I hope everyone has a great weekend! There's a PartyLite party I'm co-hosting with Jodie tonight so I won't post anything new until Monday evening probably.

I have quite a few more black hexies done, but I need to recharge my camera lol

Payton had T-ball practice last night to, it's fun watching all the fun they have.

I didn't get a chance to post last night. Things got a bit crazy here, soooo.... I'm catching up this morning. I finished another couple colors of hexies and should get the last 2 finished today! Woo-hoo!!! I have the black cut into squares and will start basting those as soon as the colors are done. Canceled my plans to quilt at Mike n Jodie's (due to said craziness) and won't go over there until next week. Maybe i can cut and sew the separate blocks here so I can just use their floor for assembly, I don't notice the animal hair when I only have to use the table top...... it's an idea, I guess we'll see where it goes :)

I'll post a pic or two tonight of the progress and see where everything is at! Now I need to go and meet my son at school so he can pick out a few books from the book fair, not like he doesn't have enough already lol!

How often do you quilt? How often does life get in the way?

I try to do some form of quilting everyday, try being the operative word. Most days it works great. Others..... not so much. Take today for example, so far not one thing quilty have I accomplished. I did do the dishes, sweep the floors, begin spring cleaning on the bedrooms, finish all cooking for the day, work on laundry, fix handle all the animal needs (E changed the litter box today, Woo hoo!!! I really dislike that chore, alas it will be my turn again thursday) and have a great day with payton (he got to skip school today to visit with some family from out of town). Aside from continuing laundry and the bedrooms, neither of which will be finished today, I can hopefully finish basting at least one more color of hexies!

I've also been following Leah Day's blog. she is doing a free-motion quilt along. I really want to have time to actually participate, as opposed to just watch....... Just as soon as I finish 3 projects that have deadlines.

So for anyone that actually reads this, here is my question to you. How often do you get to quilt? Are you an everyday quilter like me that only misses when "life happens" or do you just fit it in a few times a week or even a month?

For anyone that wants to join or even just follow along, Leah Day's blog is:

http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com/p/free-motion-quilt-along.html

Ah, it's monday, Payton's back in school, Nick's back at work and I can do quilty things without weird looks and "you have old lady habits hahahah" remarks ;) not that I mind usually! I'm working on more hexies. I've finished 3 or 4 more colors

 Work space. Mmmmmm..... dak chocolate and caramel.

 I don't trim my squares to the hexie shape I just bast them in place. I can rotary cut the squares and don't really like trimming them down further. Just a personal preferance!

 Here I am knotting the fabric at the end of the baste.

 I just love how small the knot gets :) I have no idea why it fascinates me so....

 To keep all the hexies organized I knot the colors together, putting 4 at a time on the needle.

 And knot it like I'm hand quilting

Here we are one color all knotted and ready to add to the purple box. Only 7 more colors to go!!! For those that don't like math *cough.... me* That's 112 hexies total to baste.


One day this week I plan on going to mike n jodies to quilt (no animal hair for the two tops I'm piecing for charisma and also for the black and white quilt I need to bind and will hopefully make it into the Shipshewana, IN quilt show!!! Cross your fingers, this will be the first one I've ever entered/applied to enter in a show. I hope you all had a great Monday!

Happy Easter! Church this morning was great! We got to see Payton and the other kids play the bells, I just love how the songs come together when they do that. Now we're home for some last min. details before the big egg hunt at 2:30 then off to Mike n Jodie's for supper. Payton got his basket from his Aunt E (Elizabeth my bff) and is having fun trying to sneak candy, even though we'd let him have some anyway. Hope all of you have a great day.

Mal

April 7 - A little bit of everything

First thing here is the pic of the black batik from Nancy J's as promised. I think the flash makes it read lighter than it is! Or that could just be what I see.

Our house has been a whirlwind this week! I helped my Aunt with some homework, which ended up taking me a couple hours longer than I expected. I mowed my MIL's (Sue) lawn today and then my moms (Shirley)front yard. Between the yards my dad, Payton and I stopped at  my FIL and second MIL's house to show off  Dad's new truck. We stayed and visited for a bit, walked down the street and found out there had (as of word of the street, not sure if it's true or not until hopefully Monday) been a shooting. *Enter blinding headache that kicks into overdrive after finished mowing moms lawn*  After all of that Payton stayed with his Nan-nan (Sue) and I headed home to grab a pork loin and run it to Mike n Jodie's for lunch tomorrow (Ha! I actually won a battle. Jodie had a loin in her freezer but the one I have is already thawed out. You'll learn that when in conversation with.... well pretty much any other female in the immediate family They Always Win!!! So this was a novel experience.)

When I returned home, Elizabeth (My best friend and also our roommate) informed me that our Easter egg hunt tomorrow at 3 had been moved to 2:30 (giving enough time for several people to get ready for work that night). Well, I snapped at E some and moved our lunch to a dinner. Then apologized ...profusely because, well no one deserves to be snapped at no matter the excuse and that's exactly what my headache and busyness would have been. So apolgized, forgiven. We then went grocery shopping! The best part of a best friend has to be how well they understand you and you understand them. I couldn't imagine not being friends, we have been friends for 13 years now. I almost can't remember a time we were not! After the grocerys got put away we did some cleaning and then she headed off to work and now I'm sitting here waiting on my DH (Nick) to get home! He had to work today and when he got off work he changed clothes and headed to his best friends (Dan) for the rest of the day.

Finally, it is time to relax and enjoy some alone time before DH returns and it's bed time because tomorrow promises to be just as busy as today!

In case I don't get a chance to get on tomorrow (hopefully I will)

Happy Easter Everyone!!!!

Not alot going on today quilt wise. I did stop at Nancy J's in Wabash, IN and get a black batik fabric to use as either an outer boarder on the hexies or the pathway if it goes traditional. Either way I think the black will help the colors to really pop. I'll try to post a pic of it later, I'm helping an Aunt of mine with some homework tonight for her college course.

Lots of Hexagons

For a while now I've been working on making hexagons. The tentative plan is to  use in a more mosaic style rather than a traditional grandmothers flower garden. I say tentative because when the time comes a few different layouts will be posted and I'll take a poll and the most votes wins! The tally will be from here, the quilting board and facebook :)

So here is what I have done so far! Still basting with a few partial flowers together (from before the mosaic idea hit). It's all batik fabrics for this one. I got 5 charm packs from connecting threads and double cut them to make 2.5 squares that fit the 1 in. hexies perfectly. 

 Here are the hexies so far. If my math is right, and I can't promise it is, 8 short stacks 16 big stacks and 13 un-basted stacks = 184 + 592 = 776 basted and 208 to go! So I should have 984 total when done! I hope this makes at least a lap size quilt (It should but I haven't done the math yet)

 17 of the stacks are short ( I only got 1 charm pack of those) The rest I had 2 charm packs of so I have enough to make 2 flowers and have 4 centers if it ends up tradtional.

 This is Miley, Our wonderfully sweet puppy (don't mind the hair on the floor there is some major shedding going on in our house right now!)

 This is Sky, He is so friendly now that he's been neutered and declawed (really not a fan of declawing but he was attacking everyone human or animal and causing quite a bit of damage. I really wish we had him neutered first and then would have realized how big a difference it would make.) Live and learn. Either way he is such wonderful guy now!

Callulah is our skittish little girl. Our son picked her up and carried her around with him when she was younger, reguardless of how often we made him put her down we'd turn around and he'd have her again! I think he kind of ruined her for the whole lovey and cuddly trait. Every now and again, usually while he's at school, she'll sit by me and let me pet her for awhile.

Introduction

 Ok, so here I go! I have no idea what possessed me to start a blog. I love to sew and quilt (mostly quilt). I'm going to use this first post to kind of catch you up on some of the things I've done. Most of the quilts are given to people in my family. I did just finish a quilt that someone "ordered". It was for her little girl, all from her little girls flannel baby blankets. I need to bind a quilt that just came back from an amazing long-arm quilter, Charisma @ www.charismascorner.com, she named it Black and White Beauty. I just love her work, she is a great quilter and getting better all the time!

 This is for my Step MIL. She didn't want a lap size, just big enough to fit the back of her couch. This pic was taken at the QuiltingBoard meet and greet during the Shipshewana, IN Quilt show in 2011. Craftybear is helping me hold it up.

 This is the Spiderman Quilt for my son, Payton, He picked the colors himself and the pattern :)

This is my BFF Elizabeth, she loved the colors in a jelly roll and charm pack that I used in this quick lap quilt. Rule 1 If you fall in love with it on site then it has a good chance of becoming yours lol :)

 This one is a baby quilt for my Aunt Dessies youngest Daughter Candice's youngest child, Little Dessie! Did you follow that? I Made one for her older daughter Caprise's baby girl, Eden. I still need to make one for Candice's other child, Jacob.

 Meet Gabriella! My friend Natalie had this adorable little girl and I made her the baby blanket in the background.I don't mind not having a full shot of the quilt because she is just to darn cute laying on it!!!

These are not all of the quilts I've done but, they are the ones I remembered to take pictures of! lol
The black and white is the quilt top I sent to Charisma and I'll take some pictures after it has binding on it so you can see it finished and all the beautiful quilting she did. I am really excited since as trade for the quilting I am piecing two quilt tops for her, I'm almost done with one and will post it as I go and keep better track of the second!
Happy Quilting :)