Goodbye 2013

And so we say goodbye to another year! And a crazy year it has been. Part of me is not sad to see it go, but I also am not quite ready to usher in this new year. This past year has held relatively less making for me, what with moving and having a baby and all that jazz. It has been strange to reflect upon how few things I feel like I got done. From my high of 16 quilts last year, this year I only finished 6. Still respectable, but not as many as I'd hoped. I did get quite a few other things made too, and I'm not even sure they are all pictured.  Really, my baby is here and wonderful and we are feeling settled in our new city and home, so I am going to call the year a success.


here are the 6 quilts I made. That last one will be done by midnight, so included the picture...I only have one more side of binding to sew down.

here are all the things for the kiddos

and here are the other things. I am still so in love with my weekender bag it's not even funny.

And that, friends, is my crafty year in pictures. I hope everyone is have a fantastic holiday season. I'll be back soon with some goals/ideas for the new year. Wishing everyone an amazing (and productive) 2014.

WIP Wednesday {12.18.13}

You guys, I am getting it done over here! Which is good because we are leaving tomorrow....I would be excited if I weren't so frightened of a 9 hour drive with a 3 year old and a 4 month old. But anyway, I have been a super busy little bee over here this week. I am done just about everything on my list!

suitcase - I made a freaking suitcase! And I feel good about it. And it fits all her clothes for the trip. Serious win!

baby toms - they actually fit, but the front elastic seems to rub a bit so I guess only wearing with socks...which makes them harder to get on....we'll see how much wear they get, but man they are cute.

hats/scarf - took like 20 minutes.

teething rings - one for my little and one for a friend. I love love love these. I want to make a gazillion.

gift for my sister - still not done because I am missing 2 stinking pieces of hardware that have been in the mail for almost 2 weeks. I am going to make a joanns trip tonight to try to find an alternative if it doesn't get here today.
neighbors quilt - I am sewing down the binding and am about halfway done. I had hoped to have it done before leaving, but no such luck. I'll finish it when we get back though and make some matching shams and have it to them by the new year.

And that's a wrap. Speaking of wrap, I even have just about everything wrapped and ready to go, because obviously my priorities are in order :) Who needs clothes packed?!?!  I already have a list started for the new year, and it starts with quilting my penny sampler. I even folded all my fabric and organized it so I have a fresh start. And I got some things together to work on in the car like some crochet squares and some hexies for a pillow case that I've been ignoring....so I am really hoping to make progress on those things while away.  I can't believe there are 2 weeks until the new year! Hope everyone is enjoying their holiday season!

WIP Wednesday {12.11.13.}

I am just going to go ahead and apologize in advance for the bad cell phone pictures, but we are in crunch time here people! I have about a week to finish up everything before we start our travels. I have got a pretty good done pile right now and everything else has at least been cut out I think, so I am in a pretty good place. Except for the queen size quilt that needs to be quilted and bound. Details.

the done pile - so far two gifts for my sister, a shirt for me and the security blankets (finally!). Clearly I need time and light to photograph things.

suitcase for the little - terrible picture but I am ready to start this. hopefully it will be awesome.

another gift for my sister using these lovelies. actually almost done, just waiting on some hardware

hats/scarf for the girlies - hats cut

baby shoes/slipper things - I started putting these together, hopefully I'll finish up today and if I'm lucky they'll fit.

And of course quilt and bind the queen size quilt. I am hoping to take a day and tackle that this weekend. The only other thing that is pressing is a gift for the littlest that I am waiting on the pieces for. Also I just got my fabric so I have a back for my penny sampler and the fabric for the wedding quilt so probably in a few weeks when all the crazy dies down, I will start on those. So that's what I'll be doing for the next week. Maybe I'll even get a little hot chocolate/cookie baking/light seeing/moving watching in :) Hope everyone else is doing well on their holiday makes list!

WIP Wednesday {12.4.13}

It seems these days I can kind of find time to sew or I can kind of find time to blog, but not both. So I guess once a week it is! At least it helps keep me on track.

quilt for neighbor - I went crazy and this went from pretty pile of fabric to basted queen sized quilt in 2 days. It was nuts and while this is totally not my typical style quilt, I do love it. Now I need to decide on quilting and finish it up!

security blankets - one step closer. I have made the binding. I swear this will get done.
suitcase for little - I need a few more things, hope to start cutting fabric this week
bags for sister - still collecting hardware and such, hope to start cutting fabric this week
shirt for me - I have a pattern and fabric...
shirt for the tiny one- I have been inspired....if I have time....
shoes for the tiny one - I am going to try a cute little pair, we'll see if they end up fitting....
penny sampler - I know how I am going to try and quilt it and a back is on the way
wedding gift quilt - fabric ordered....they only got married in october, but I have a year, right?

That should keep me busy for a while. We have about 2 weeks until we leave for our holiday travels to see the family, so I better get down to it. Here's hoping the babe cooperates! Happy Wednesday!!

WIP Wednesday {11.27.13}

What a week! And can I just say I feel like I blinked and November is over. I mean wow. In any case, I got a lot done this week, I am pleased to say. I still have a ton to go, but it is encouraging to see progress.


hexie doll quilt - all finished and I kind of love it!

slippers - these are done but they came out freaking huge. And I even paid for the pattern pieces, and I know I cut the right size. Sigh. More on that later.

penny sampler - the top is done! the top is done!

still to do...
security blankets - just need binding.
quilt for neighbor - yep, I have been ignoring it for months and it is time to just get it done
suitcase for the little - I have fabric, I just need interfacing and zippers I think
bag(s) for sister - I think I know what I am going with here and I need them done in the next 3 weeks.


and since that is what is most pressing and what I can think of, that should be enough for now. I need to figure out quilting for the penny sampler, and a back for that matter, but first, I have to do this other quilt for my neighbor that I've been putting off for ages. I am hoping to get the top done over this long weekend, but that may be a bit ambitious. Anyway, I hope everyone celebrating has a lovely thanksgiving :)

New Curtains!

Now that we have been almost a week in our new place, things are settling down, almost unpacked, and I have my craft space {almost} all set up. Consequently, I have been cutting and preping like a mad woman so that this weekend I can get my penny sampler top done, some toddler slippers, and a doll hexie quilt. I have lofty goals, which I may or may not meet. 

Anyway, I wanted to take a minute to talk about the curtains I made. I know many people don't care for curtains, but for me, blackout curtains in my bedroom are a must. I like it as dark as dark can be, and I also like them for the kidlets, since it keeps them asleep just a little bit longer. 

The fabric is a premier prints twill from fabric.com that I really love. It is listed as lightweight, but it is still substantial and has a nice drape. I opted to go with grommets, which really gives them some class. I love me a professional finish, and they were so super easy to put in. I followed this tutorial for the most part, I just kind of used my own measurements since I wanted to just use 2.5 yards per panel instead of 3. Really I just did a smaller hem on the bottom and a smaller hem on the top with a 4" fold for the grommets, and the ended up being about 85" long which is perfect. The grommets are pewter color and I ordered them from joanns. I bought 5 packs and used 10 grommets per panel, which worked perfectly. I did have a problem with one pack having 7 of one piece and 9 of the other instead of 8 each, but I contacted Prym (dritz) and they responded so quickly and sent me a new pack! It was really awesome and I am so thankful that they did and I was able to finish these up.

Seriously, I love them. Which is good since I have to look at them so often. Now I am thinking about making another set for the girlies, but we'll see, no hurry on that at any rate. So that's that. Today I am hoping to have everything ready so that tomorrow I can just sewsewsew. With any luck I'll have good progress to report next week. Happy Weekend!

WIP Wednesday {11.20.13}

I'm alive! Barely. It has been a ridiculous couple of weeks and I am just hoping things calm down soon. On the plus side, we are all moved and starting to dig out from under the boxes, so that's good. I have a few things done over the past couple of weeks, but seriously, I need to organize myself and get to work as soon as I get out my machine.


penny sampler - I got as far as starting to assemble some of the sections...I still have 3 more blocks and the diamonds to do so I can finish the top

kitchen mat - done

curtains - done and awesome.

fabric storage - I got this off craigs list and painted it and now I get to fill it up :)

hexie doll quilt - well I'm not sure the doll is getting it anymore, but I guess I'll finish it up anyway and figure out something to do with it.
slippers- the little needs slippers and I couldn't find any I liked, but I did find a pattern
security blankets - I just need to bind these and be done with them, but that means I need to actually make the binding....

Those are my immediate concerns. I want to try and finish up the penny sampler top and the slippers first and then start knocking out the rest. Then I have a few gifts to make. I am really hoping that the long weekend next week will give me a bunch of time since we aren't traveling anywhere. So much to do, so little time....story of my life.  Happy Wednesday!

Penny sampler: it continues

Hey! Bet you didn't think you'd hear from me again this week! I wasn't so sure either, and then I went crazy with my penny sampler blocks to catch up and got so dang excited I had to share. I still haven't made this weeks blocks, but that means I have 3 blocks and a bunch of diamonds to make and that will be it. I can't believe it, and honestly I can't believe I've kept up with it so well, what with the class starting less than a week after I had a baby.

I am just going to go ahead and apologize for the crappy pictures, but I am working with what I have here, which is a carpeted floor and bad light. And don't mind the junk everywhere, it's a hazard of moving next week haha. Here she is in all her glory!

And some close ups of the recent paper pieced blocks.

I love this quilt! The flower pot block is my favorite and I kind of think it makes the quilt. So now I have two horses and a long churn dash and I will be caught up....if I get it done before the last part is posted next week that is. I am just loving this quilt and so looking forward to having the top completed. I still need to decide on a back and figure out whether to hand quilt it or not, but I guess I have time. Now I just need to sneak in some horse block making! Have a great weekend!

WIP Wednesday {11.6.13}

Halfway through another week! Seriously, this does not stop surprising me. But here we are. And my list is growing faster than I can get things off of it....which I guess is pretty normal, but it feels a little overwhelming. Anyway, I am just going one thing at a time and trying to work through it all.

crib sheet - I finally did this since we are going to start using the crib once we move in a couple weeks. So simple and cute.

doll quilt - i don't have an updated picture so here is the same one again, but the hexies are joined into two half pieces that I now need to sew together.

kitchen mat - Since I ditched an entire quilt of hexies, I have some charm packs and thought one would be perfect to make a little kitchen mat backed with a towel. It is ready to quilt, I just want to get the doll quilt up to that point too so I can do them both at once.

penny sampler - this is the only block I finished, but I have a bunch more cut out and will hopefully sew them when I can grab a minute. I am approaching caught up; who knows if I will ever reach it.

That's pretty much it. I have to make new curtains, so once all my pieces come in and are together, I will be tackling that, which I am not looking forward to, but must be done. There are a lot of other little organizational things I want to make for our new place too, so that is on the list. I also have a handful of holiday gifts to make which I need to start on soonish. How is everyone else doing? Anyone else drowning in things to do?

WIP Wednesday {10.30.13}

Wow, Wednesday really snuck up on me this week! So much going on! And I felt like I hadn't gotten much done, but I actually did alright. I don't know how much time I'll get to sneak in over the next month since we have visitors the next two weekends, we move, and then Thanksgiving, so I am enjoying it when I can get it.

pj's - I whipped these up real quick this weekend. They actually came out pretty big, but she loves them and at least has room to grow.

hoodies - I finished them both and I can't wait to put them on them. Unfortunately the sweatshirt fabric doesn't stretch, so they are a bit tough to get on and off, but oh well.

penny sampler - I am not caught up, but I did make my small diamonds and my teacups and I have fabric picked out and partially cut for the little squares. At least I'm not as behind as I could be....

trick-or-treat bag -quick and easy and cute. good times.

hexies - I found these when I was cleaning. I had originally intended for it to be a long term project that would be a lap quilt....but since it has been years and this is as far as I got, I am going to sew them up into a doll quilt for the little one. That should be manageable at least. I hope.

So not too shabby. I am trying to clear things out right now so that I don't have to move it and am hoping to finish up some things I have laying around. I need to make a crib sheet and finish up the security blankets that have been cut for months, and make another stuffed bunny, and try to keep up with the penny sampler. Hope everyone is having a good week!

WIP Wednesday {10.23.13}

Thank goodness we are halfway through this week! For no particular reason, this is turning out to be "one of those weeks". I was hoping to get more sewing time this past weekend, but alas I got distracted by that whole 'clean out everything before you move' business. Which will probably be the case again this weekend, but who knows.

I did manage to finish the panties. They were sitting around for ages and a certain little girl is super happy to have them and be using them. In fact, I had no choice but to have one pair missing for the pictures because one pair is always on :)

I also finished a stuffed bunny and got a little package sent off to a friend for her new little

And the sweatshirts are started. This is as far as I got on the first one and I am really hoping to get them both done soon.

I don't even know what is next after that. I have to do penny sampler blocks and I have fabric to make a treat bag for halloween and some fall/winter pjs and shirts, so I'll have to get around to that.  Who knows, I guess I'll see if I end up with any time and what mood I am in. At this point, I'll be happy to keep up with the sampler and finish these sweatshirts! Wish me luck!

Penny Sampler: the second month

Alright, so this past month was precise piecing in our lovely penny sampler quilt. Here's the thing, I am not a particularly precise person. Which is why I wanted to take this class, hoping to kick my rear in gear. At the same time, I did manage to make an entire farmer's wife quilt, and am also part way into my pony club sampler (which I can't wait to get back to!) so I reason that I must not be terrible. I mean, my quilts come out looking pretty good, I think. Still, improvements could be made. So I am working at it. And through the course of these blocks it became clear that I have just as much problem with precise cutting as sewing, so there's that. In fact, that might be the larger issue. Anyway, on to pretty blocks.


Penny candy were first. All 17 of them. Cute little things :)

Hanging diamonds, snowflake and stacked pines came next

then ribbon square, jewel, and hourglass stacked

and finally, boxed in, crossroads, framed, and whirl

And here are some group shots laid out in there approximate final locations. On my purple carpet. Have I mentioned that I need a design wall...and that it's not likely to happen any time soon. *sigh* Oh how I wish I had a blank wall to use, even temporarily. Still, it gives me a rough idea of what I've got going on so far.

So there it is in all it's glory. I am loving it so far even though the purple does throw me off a bit in these pictures. I am really looking forward to the final paper pieced blocks. I am thinking I am going to hand quilt this beauty, but I suppose I have time to decide.  Happy weekend everyone!