I am sewing again!

I started a few things:

a purse

an Elsa dress

maybe I might even go finish my hexagon quilt

still sewing

With all that's been going on, I am back to sewing!  I started homeschool for our son with my husband's support, we are all happy with it, still hand quilting hubby's quilt, and making clothes for the little one.  This dress is called the Agnes tunic by Jennifer Paganelli.

 

here is the dress with collar inserted and one sleeve attached.

 

 

making the collar and bias strip came first.  Attaching the collar was the most complicated part.  Paganelli's patterns are very detailed and helpful with specific instructions and lots of pictures.

 

 

 

I finished with French seams and sleeve and hem bands.  I love the way the bands look, and it is an easy way to hem.  She wore the dress all day, it was very comfy she said. It's the first dress I have made for her that she really likes, she even wants to wear it for fall pictures when she goes back to pre-school after fall break. Success!!!!

 

 

Where has the summer gone

Summer is flying by.  I have not quilted much at all, or even thought about it really.  Too much to do with the kids and work and planning our next school year.  The kids are growing like weeks, I can almost hear them getting taller and outgrowing their clothes. 

I still need to quilt my king size Town Square, so this week I decided to do a little bit every day.  It will be finished by Christmas, oh yes, it will be finished!

Happy Spring!

I wish you could smell this great cup of coffee I just made! Black coffee, frothy skim milk and cinnamon.  It is a great spring morning, I am enjoying my coffee, my fam, and listening to the rain outside.  Nice quiet relaxing start to a busy Saturday.  Nothing much quilty going on here, besides handquilting the Town Square.  My house, the kids, hubby, the herb garden, all have had priority for the last two months.  Have a great day!

Catching up

Last week we celebrated Valentines Day with cake pops

 

and decorated strawberries with toothpick and paintbrush, fun and tasty!

then got back to work on my final.

 

I have bought NO fabric in the past 6 months.  Those teals in the picture I bought back in the 90's sometime, don't remember exactly when.   Fabric diet going well, other one not so much!

 

 

2013 Golden Quilter Awards voting is open

Click here to vote http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/2013/02/2013-golden-quilter-awards-voting.html





Get your vote in by Feb 28. Let your voice be heard!

One Flower Wednesday

this paisley one will be my last for a while!  I will be working on the stones and paths in between, hope no one minds my posting pics as I get those in place.  Have a great week! View other pretty flowers at Karen's blog.  Thanks Karen for featuring One Flower Wednesday!

One Flower Wednesday

Another batik I love this fabric! Sewed while Emma pretended to be little Pink Riding Hood in a pink cape with a basket of pretend cookies.  I was "Grandmuvver."  The big bad wolf didn't stand a chance against my tough little angel.  My son hopped off the computer for a while so I could post, gotta run to catch American Idol.  Thanks to Karen for continuing to host One Flower Wednesday at http://www.journeyofaquilter.blogspot.com

Final Exam Quilters Academy Vol 1

I have learned so much from the Quilters Academy!  I have been blessed with a co-worker who took one of the author's classes at a quilt festival, and shared her enthusiasm and a great book with  me when she got back to work.  I can say it has changed the way I quilt, most definitely.  My sewing is faster and more accurate, my piecing is better, and I have some really beautiful quilts to show for it. Working on the final is so much fun!  The "final" is actually a drawing of a quilt broken down into distinct units. The written part is to decide what the basic unit or grid is, figure out how to cut and piece the units into blocks using a strip set method, and then how many inches are required for all the blocks in the quilt, then of course you make the quilt.  I am working through the first test block now.  I decided to use a two inch square as my basic grid, since I had stacks of two inch squares cut for another project that never got off the ground.  It will make a pretty large block, but that means I will I have a good size throw when finished. 

 

beautiful! I love it.  this is just one block of a great big nine patch.  I have lots of different teal blues in my stash, so not only am I getting a new quilt, but will be using up scraps as well.  Bonus!

One Flower Wednesday

The decorations have been put away, the new year has started, and I have a flower completed this week! 

this one is a batik.  so far I am still working from my stash.  I had a chance to sort all my scraps and fat quarters.  That was fun, so much I had forgotten was there.  Have a great week, go see more love flowers on Karen's blog http://www.journeyofaquilter.blogspot.com!

Happy New Year's Eve

I am so ready for a new year.  I will try my best to make it a good one, full of healthy habits and learning new things, hopefully mastering some of them. 

It's pointless to say I will diet, as I am obsessive about my weight anyway.  I check it every day and track my calories.  I make an effort to get up from my computer every hour or so, stretch, do squats at my desk if I can't get away for a 15 minute walk.  I am within 7 pounds of being where I was before the last baby, so I feel pretty good about that.  I had a protein shake for breakfast, leftover chicken and dressing for lunch, and hubby is making panini for dinner with chicken, ham, fresh veggies. Yum!

Re quilting, I want to get ahead of the hand made gift giving for next year.  When December comes I get all excited about making Christmasy things and soon run out of time.  I have already started on teacher gifts for next year, I have several sets of coasters cut out so far, I think about 6.  One of my sisters has ordered a set, so her gift will be taken care of, too.  Another thing I want to complete by next Christmas is my hexagon quilt top and a Christmas quilt top.  Since I started quilting, I have wanted a Christmas quilt just for me.  I don't know why, they just looked so pretty on a magazine cover I saw at a guild meeting. 

I also want to complete my Quilters Academy final.  That's enough to get started with.  This blog will hold me accountable in case I run out of steam.  Happy New Year!

We got snow!

 

We got snow!  just a little bit, enough for the kids to play in and get cold enough to come back in the house and have hot cocoa.

 

My snowman pillows found homes!  This one has a cozy rocker in Arkansas.

 

 

this one is at home in Tennessee.

 

 

I am so happy they will be loved and enjoyed.

 



Paper piece Christmas tree

I added jingle bells and a fabric wreath this year!

Merry Christmas

from our home to yours:)

Snowman pillow update

Things did come together, and two pillows were finished just in time.  Here is one.

the nubby fabric is called Minky! Thanks to SewGreen at http://sewgreenm.blogspot.com for letting me know the name. It was probably printed on the end of the bolt it was cut from, but I was too excited to look.    I have 2 more to make, for an after Christmas get-together. 

 

 

I also made drink sleeves for my BFF Nancy. She was thrilled and wants more, some larger for soda glasses.  They were fun and quick to make. 

 

Here's another view.  They take very little fabric, just a few inches really. I have lots of scraps that will come in handy for this.



Pillows

of 3 fabric stores, one had the white nubbly fabric for the snowman face. I already had felt for the noses.  I will try to find the other stuff, the green velour, ball buttons and pom pom trim tomorrow!

I have faith that it will all come together!

Ten days till Christmas

 

My sister wants a pillow. I've got time.  I have three sisters, might as well make one for each.

Decorating for Christmas

Since I started quilting, I have made quite a few Christmas themed things perfect for my office space.

 

this runner feels great on my chair

 

this mug rug makes a great mousepad

 

another view of my tree runner

 

this runner is right outside my front door

 

 

I have really enjoyed seeing other bloggers and Christmas things! Have a joyous day!

One Flower Wednesday

I actually finished these, one is a Christmas present and another for my garden!

 

blue flower!

Christmas present!

 

18 flowers! 

 

these are bigger than I realized

once I get the cream paving stones around the flowers and

the grassy path in between

I only need 6 in each row

 

go visit Karen to see more beautiful hexie flowers!

Just one more thanksgiving post

Once a year we use placemats and cloth napkins, that's Thanksgiving. Usually it is just the 4 of us, this year we were thankful we had five! My MIL decided to postpone her traveling till after the holiday to be with us.  My son picked fresh rosemary for the table.  I love the way it smells.  The napkins and placemats were a gift from the MIL, the napkin rings from our wedding china.  I hope the kids enjoy using them in years to come.