Laboring on Labor Day

Happy Labor Day to all!  I hope you have enjoyed the long three day weekend if you were lucky enough to have today off.

I decided to take Labor Day to heart this year and I have spent a good amount of my morning/early afternoon laboring over my sewing machine.  There were lots of grumblings and mutterings but I managed to crank this out.....

Yellow Brick Road Quilt Top
Started 8/26/12
Finished 9/3/12
 

Here's a close up so that you can see the fabric a bit better.  I mentioned it before, but just in case you missed it, I used Puttin' on the Ritz by Bunny Hill Designs and I mixed in Blueberry Crumb Cake by Blackbird Designs.  The border is Meadow by Blackbird Designs.  The backing will be a solid dark blue.  Boring, but functional.  I plan on taking it up to my LQS tomorrow to see if I can get it quilted by the middle of this month.  My sister's baby shower is on the 22nd and I want to be sure I have enough time mail the package in case I can't make it to the shower.  (Everything is dependent on when my doctor wants us to start "trying" again.)

 

I only have one concern when it comes to this quilt.  I'm not sure that my sister will appreciate the quilt or the time that it took to put it together.  Because it is my very first completed quilt top, it isn't perfect.  But, a ton of love was put into it.  And, because of all of our losses, this baby quilt was very hard for me to make.  I should have been able to make it for our little one instead of for another person's baby.  Still, I felt a very strong tug and I knew that I had to make it for my new nephew.  I just don't want to give this as a gift and then find out that it was put up in a closet and never used.  Or, worse yet, I don't want to find out that it was given to some place like the Salvation Army or Goodwill because she didn't like it.  Would it be horrible of me to put a stipulation on this gift?  I was thinking that I would tell her that if she absolutely hated it then I would take it back and get the baby something else instead.  It wouldn't hurt my feelings if she didn't like it but it would if she didn't tell me.  What do you think?

I know I love the new quilt top my Mom made.  I'd be happy to call it mine!

Now I'm off to labor over some of my cross stitch.

Happy Stitches!

Life In Pictures

*WARNING....PICTURE HEAVY*

I thought this would be the easiest way to tell you everything I've been up to lately.....Enjoy!

I've been birdwatching through the sliding glass door.....

The pole system was a birthday gift from Hubby and MIL.

I think this may be the same Cardinal that I found back in July.  You can still see his tufts of baby feathers!

 

I've been on vacation......

Wild Ponies in Corolla, NC

Shot of the ocean looking out from behind the dunes.

 

Hubby anxious to go 4 wheeling behind the dunes.

 

Area behind the dunes where we typically see the wild horses.

 

I decided to put my sewing machine into action and attempt a baby quilt for my new nephew who is due in December......

 

Six fat quarters for the Yellow Brick Road Quilt Pattern.  I'm using a combination of Puttin' on the Ritz by Bunny Hill Designs and Blueberry Crumbcake by Blackbird Designs

Block A (fabric locations vary)

Block B (fabric locations vary)

Block C (fabric locations vary) in progress

 

And, of course, I've been stitching......

Be thou the Rainbow by Blackbird Designs

Summer Needlebook by Blackbird Designs

 



I think I'm all caught up now!  Happy Stitches!

Picture Promises

I can't believe that it is Sunday evening already!  Where did the weekend go?  I guess it didn't help that I'm now working on Saturdays, so that makes my weekends even shorter than usual.

Today my husband ended up working, so it gave me some time to catch up on the pictures that I've been promising.  First up is proof positive that I have been stitching.

I know it doesn't look like much, but it is more than you think it is.  This is from a piece that I can't show just yet, so you will have to stay tuned.

On Thursday I mentioned some happy mail.  While I was at work I received a package from The Attic with some wonderful Blackbird Designs items.  Then, when I got home, I had a thoughtful little package from Grace.  She sent me a set of angel wings along with a hug token....just to let me know she cared.  Aren't blogging buddies amazing?  Thank you so much Grace!  I have the wings in my stitching basket next to my happy chair so that I can be reminded of your generosity.

New acquisitions along with Grace's wings.  I love happy mail!

As I mentioned earlier, Saturday was a work day for me.  While it didn't last all day, I did manage to get a good start on my week by working for about five hours.  After work I decided to take the long way home so that I could continue the happiness and stop by one of the local quilt stores.  On the way I spotted a sign for an estate sale.  I said to myself "Why not?" and I followed the signs to the house.  I was in luck!  It was the third day of the sale and everything was 50% off.  There wasn't much left, but this managed to catch my eye.......

Isn't this shelving unit amazing?  It is nice and sturdy.  When I turned it over I noticed that it was put together by tongue and groove.  Good stuff!  Plus, I love the little drawers.  Once I get it cleaned up it will be the perfect place to show off many of my finishes.  Now, if only I could figure out where I should hang it up......

Since I didn't break the bank at the estate sale, I headed over to the quilt shop.  Let's just say that I was a really, really, really, really bad girl!  Look what jumped into my hands and insisted on coming home with me.

I couldn't help myself!  First of all, you know how much I love Barb & Alma, so you knew their newest quilt book had to come home with me.  (Would you believe there is a cross stitch pattern in there?)  I would have also come home with some of their yummy new fabric, Blueberry Crumb Cake, but it hadn't come in yet.  Instead, I picked up the bundle in the upper right hand corner.  I have some grand plans for that bundle.  I'm going to attempt to make two baby quilts out of it.  Of course, the key work there is attempt.  The co-worker with the twin boys isn't due until May, so it gives me a little bit of time to try.  I've got a simple pattern called "Yellow Brick Road" laying next to my sewing machine just waiting for those fat quarters.

Oh, and did you catch sight of this in the upper left corner?

I have a special project in mind for these cute little frogs.  I picked up a yard of each and I hope it is enough.  Now I just need to find a few extra minutes away from my husband and my stitching!

Speaking of stitching, I have one last shot for you.  I know I talked about starting that new Blackbird piece, but it has been dreary here today and it is slated to continue for the next day or two.  It is hard to do conversions without some good old fashioned sunshine, so I guess I'll just have to continue working on this.....

The Counting House by Little House Needleworks

Time to stop blogging and start stitching!

Happy Stitches!

It's Progress None the Less

The last two weeks really hasn't afforded me the progress that I've been hoping for.  However, I guess some is better than none, right?

Here's where I stand with the ABC's of Aging by L*K.  Only eight more letters to go!  I've tried to keep up with at least fifteen minutes a day.  And, for those days where the fifteen minutes wasn't possible, I made up for it with a double session the next day.  I didn't get this finished before the end of the month like I was hoping I would, but I think that I will be able to finish it up before I go on vacation this month.  (Please forgive the wrinkled state, I'm not one to iron until I've come to the end of the project.)

I have also made great progress on another one of my challenge pieces, "Beyond My Heart" by Blackbird Designs.  I'm about halfway done with the words and the design in the upper right hand corner.  I apologize for not taking a picture to show you.  I was running late this morning and I didn't have a chance to pull it out of my bag.

As for quilting, my newest class has really kept me busy.  My homework for this week was to finish cutting 51 strips (2 and 1/2" each), sew them together in sets of three and then sub cut them into squares (6 and 1/2" each).  It was more homework than I was supposed to have at this point, but I started the class much later than the others and I had some major catch up to do.  With all of the sewing and cutting that I did over the weekend I managed to get myself to the same point as the others.


Would you believe that my stack of squares ended up over 2" high?  I don't think I've ever cut that much fabric in my whole life!  I guess I shouldn't really complain....this is just the beginning, isn't it?



It is not just on the stitching and quilting front that I'm progressing slowly.  As of today, we are still trying to conceive our first child.  This month will mark one year since the conception that resulted in the miscarriage.  Things haven't been easy.  I didn't think that this would end up being so hard and I didn't think that I would become so emotional about it all.  I've even resorted to doing things that I said I would never do (ie: charting, over the counter kits, etc.)  I wasn't able to get an appointment with the doctor until the end of the month.  That means that we have to wait that much longer before we can start to explore the reasons why nothing has happened these last nine months.  That having been said, if you are so inclined, please pray for us.  We are doing all we can at the moment and now it is just a waiting game.

In the meantime, try to keep your stitches happy.  I know I'm trying!

The Heat Made Me Do It

At least the heat was my excuse yesterday!  It was in the upper 90's here.  Combine that with 60% or more humidity and the heat index made it into the lower 100's.  Today isn't going to be any better.  The temperature is supposed to climb into the low 100's which will push the heat index to 115 degrees or more.  All you have to do is step outside and you immediately become soaking wet.   It was/is like a sauna!  Even the air conditioner can't cut through all that humidity, which makes it miserable inside as well.  So, I'm attributing yesterday's antics to the heat.

I started my morning with what I thought would be a quick trip to the car dealership for some minor warranty work.  Well, an hour and a half later they told me that I had a problem with my front brakes and it would require another two hours.  They told me I could come back since they had to order parts for another issue and they would fix them both at the same time.  Seeing that these were my brakes and I need my brakes to work properly to stop the car, I opted to have them fixed.  Of course that meat that I wouldn't get to work until after lunch.  And, what's the point in going in that late???  So..........of course I had to call into work and take the whole day off.  *Snicker*

The good thing about being stuck at the car dealership was that I got to spend some quality time with my stitching.  Remember this piece from January?

I managed to turn it from that to this........

I know it doesn't look like much, but there are lots of little stitches there!  Hopefully the words will go pretty quick.  I may even make this my next fifteen minute project.

Speaking of fifteen minute projects, I worked on that one yesterday (and this morning) too.  I guess you could say that the heat gave me a little bit of ADD.  My attention was so limited yesterday, so maybe it was a good thing that I had the day off.  I couldn't really stick with any one thing yesterday.

After I had it with stitching I went to a LQS that is a few blocks from my house.  (I'm lucky with the quilting......there are three shops close by!)  You see, the other day I purchased a Groupon for $34 that would allow me $69 worth of classes and/or supplies and it was burning a hole in my pocket.  I've been thinking about taking another class and I felt that this Groupon gave me the perfect opportunity to do so.  I started off asking about the one session binding class and instead I was talked into a six session Quilting 101 class.  Since the class was already well on their way to part three, the owner of the shop offered to catch me up on the classes so that I didn't have to wait until next quarter.  So, I spent the afternoon with her yesterday.  Once I'm done I will have a 60" x 60" rail step quilt.  All I have to do is cut 17 strips from each of these three fabrics.

Oh, my!  Looks like I'm in trouble now!  See......I told you the heat made me do it!


Happy Stitches!

Busy Baby Bee

This weekend was really a crazy one!  Hubby's cousin was here on Saturday and my Uncle was here on Sunday.  Each day was a big "family day affair" and we had tons of fun.  Still, I was a little bit sad that I wasn't able to stitch at all over the weekend.

I knew that my stitching would lack over the weekend, so I left work a few minutes early on Friday afternoon and stopped by my LQS on the way home.  Lo and behold, this cute little Moda fabric came home with me.

Lily & Will II by Moda Fabrics

As soon as I walked in my front door I dropped everything and went straight to the cutting/sewing table (aka the dining room table).  I broke the Go! Baby free from the boxed constraints and got to work.  In a couple of hours I had these babies all ready to go......

Rag Squares cut by my new Go! Baby

Then I set up the sewing machine with color coordinating threads and viola.......

Rag Squares!

I still have quite a few more squares to make before I can work on the layout, but I can honestly say that I'm having fun.  I can see how much easier it is to work with the Go! Baby for this type of project.  I can only imagine how tired my hands would get while trying to fray all of the layers of fabric and fleece.

I hope to devote my time to stitching this week, so I will be putting this on the back burner until the weekend rolls around again.  I can assure you that I will be taking some time out of the sun this upcoming weekend.  I don't want to deal with this again:

I never burn while beaching it, but I got so burnt on Saturday that even the tops of my feet hurt!

Have a great week!  Happy Stitches!

Jumping For Joy

It's here!  It's here!  My GO! Baby is here!

As you can see, I opted for the hexies, the circles and the rag squares.  I will be stopping by the LQS later today to pick up some fleece or brushed cotton (and probably some more fabric......as if I really need any after last week!) so that I can begin my first project using my new toy.

I had great plans to spend time with this beauty this weekend, but now family obligations have overruled my quilting.  I guess I'll just have to be happy with the time I have this evening while Hubby is at work.  Wish me luck!

Happy Stitches!

Big Progress , Small Finish and the Traveling Pattern

Happy Monday All!  I hope everyone had an enjoyable weekend.  I divided my Saturday between stitching and a little bit of quilting.  My Sunday on the other hand was pure "Hubby Time". 

We spent the morning catching up on HBO's True Blood series.  Hubby just got interested this year, but I've been reading the books for sometime.  We are currently on the last half of season three and I've got season four saved on the DVR.  Only one more marathon session and we will be all caught up.

As for my stitching I thought I'd catch you up on some of my Crazy January Challenge pieces.  First up is the Letter H.  I've been working on this during my "Saturday Stitch Time" with my stitching buddies.

Letter H by Nora Corbett

I also spent a great deal of time on this project a couple of Fridays ago.  That Friday was "Forgiveness Friday".  An old stitching friend and I met at the local Barnes & Noble.  We talked and let many old "issues" go.  As as result of the forgiveness, I'm really looking forward to stitching with my friend again.  (Forgive the picture......the fabby looks grey, but it is a really great shade of purple in real life.)

This Heart of Mine by Ink Circles

I'm also keeping up with my fifteen minute piece.  Here's it is as of this morning.  At the rate I'm going, I may be able to finish this one up by month's end.

Saturday evening also brought me closer to my sewing machine.  I had such wonderful compliments on my color choices for my pillow that I decided to use the same fabric for these two little pincushions.  I learned so much while sewing these up.  They aren't too bad for my first try, but I'll be sure to change things up a bit for future pincushions like these.  (They came out much smaller than I expected.)

Last, but not least let's talk about the Traveling Pattern, "ABCD" by La-D-Da.

Remember this post?  It seems that we have had quite a bit of interest and that excites me so very much!  Originally I was just going to send this pattern off and let flit from place to place.  However, I want to be sure that Peggy Lee gets it back someday.  So, in that vein, I'm going to switch things up a bit.  I'm going to limit the number of people so that the last person can send the pattern back to Peggy along with the autograph book that I have purchased so that she will know where her pattern has been. 

Based on the original post there were about 30 interested people.  If you are still interested, please drop me an email (it's in my profile) and let me know.  Also let me know if you are willing to mail to an overseas/foreign address.  That way I can make up a mailing list.  You will know who you are receiving the pattern from and who you are sending it to.  As for stitching this timely, it took me a weekend to finish this up, so I feel like three weeks should be plenty of time to finish this pattern.

I can't wait to hear from everyone!

Happy Stitches!

20 Yards + 1 Batik Jelly Roll

Oh yes, I'm crazy!  I guess it was the excitement of winning the GO! Baby from Craft Buds.  Or maybe it was because my local Bernina dealer had their "50% off all in stock fabric" annual sale.  I don't know, but someone has to take the blame. (And it can't be me.....tee hee hee!)

At 50% off original prices, I feel like I got the bargain of a lifetime!  I'm so glad that I got there a half hour before the store closed yesterday.  Otherwise I could have been in there for hours and who knows how much more fabric I would have come home with.  Hubby would have killed me!  I'm still trying to figure out a way to incorporate the new fabric into my stash without him really noticing.  (Don't tell, but right now the bag is under the sofa!)

I know, I should quit yapping and just show you what I've added to my ever growing fabric stash.  So, here goes!

First up is "Hab-i-tat (a philosophy...a refuge...)" by Michele D'Amore for Benartex.    I liked it so much I added two yards of each print in the picture.  However, after looking at the whole line, I do see one more print I would like to add to what I purchased yesterday. You can see the whole line here.

Next up are three whimsical, coordinating patterns by Keri Schneider for Blank Quilting.  I only purchased one yard of each.  There was no pattern name, but they all had pattern numbers and a copyright date of 2008. I'm going to assume that this has been out of print for sometime....especially since I can't seem to find it online and the copyright is 2008.  I would have loved to find more of this line, but I'm sure that I can easily find some other bright fabrics to go along with them instead.

I also picked up a couple of Batiks.  I just couldn't resist a yard of each of these.  Unfortunately, the salvage didn't tell me anything about the designer.  If you know which group these belong to, I would love to know.

Finally, for my last yard, I picked up a wonderful neutral called Apple Cider by P&B Textiles.  Again, I think this was an older patter as well because I can't seem to find this one either.  Still, I think it was a great pick.  You never know when you will need a good neutral.  Plus, I loved the pattern.  I also included the Artisan Batik Roll-Up by Robert Kaufman Fabrics in this picture as well.  It has lots of yummy colors, doesn't it?

Well, I guess that's it for now........especially since I still need to figure out what I'm going to make with all of these new goodies.  My mind is just spinning!

I guess I'll be pretty busy this weekend.

Happy Stitches!