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Tuesday, December 31, 2013

A List of Projects for 2014

I want to list my current UFO's (unfinished objects) on this blog so that I have a list to look back on, add to, remind myself and hopefully keep myself accountable to finishing.  I've separated them all into categories to make it easier to find and account for them.  This list includes both the things I've already begun and never finished and the stuff I want/need to start.


QUILTING

1. Finish HST Christmas Countdown quilt for my bed

2. Get the backing pieced for my AMH Stacks quilt (and then quilt it)

3. Put the binding on the 1974 quilt and list for sale

4. Bind the quilt mom made for me and I quilted

5. Make a quilt for a dear friend using the jelly rolls from my MIL

6. Finish piecing Jake's Star Trek quilt 

7. Make myself a scrappy disappearing 9-patch quilt with bright fun colors

8. Make a quilt for my Aunt C's Christmas in 2014

9. Navy & Red quilt for our bed



KIDS STUFF

1. Make flannel receiving blankets for all the babies that have recently been and are soon to be spawned

2. Make taggie blankie for Ronan

3. Make fabric crinkle toys for Ronan and my friends offspring

4. Quilt and bind the 1/2 dozen baby quilt tops just hanging in my closet.

5. Attempt to make some fabric blocks with scraps.  The small child will love them.

6. Make pillowcases for the boys in the new Super Hero theme

7. Make Super Hero curtains for boys room

8. Make sheets for R's crib

9. Make bumper pads for R's crib

10. Make pants for R


SMALL ITEMS

1. Quilt and bind the stack of patchwork mug rugs just sitting on a shelf, waiting to be finished.

2. Make a lot (read tons) of reusable unpaper towels.  Some for me, some for mom.  Probably some for friends.  Maybe even some for the shop.

3. Make several sets of napkins for Christmas gifts in 2014

4. Make I Spy placemats for the boys lunchtime 

5. Put the binding on A and O's doggie mug rugs

6. Finish piecing the Christmas pillow covers (and then shove into a bin until 2014)

7. Make autumn pillow covers

8. Make the Thanksgiving pillow cover with the fabric I bought just for that purpose

9. Make scrappy patchwork square place mats for family ("i spy" style)

10. reusable nursing pads (my current ones put the disappearing socks to shame)

11. Scrappy dish towels (at least some for me.  some for others would be awesome too).



FOR THE SHOP

1. Flannel receiving blankets

2. Reusable wipes

3. burp cloth sets

4. crinkle toys

5. Taggie blankets

6. knit monsters, birds and animals

7. Stroller quilts

8. reusable nursing pads


KNITTING

1. Monster Chunks (some for friends baby gifts and some for the shop)

2. Little Birdies (friends and shop)

3. Knit City Shawl for myself

4. Creme Brûlée sweater for R

5. New mittens for O

6. Mittens for myself

7. Mittens for Dad

8. New sweaters for A and O

9. Neck warmer for my Love

10. Baby blanket for Nephew who's coming soon!

11. knit toy balls for R and Nephew

12. knit Christmas light strands for next year

13. knit Christmas bulbs for tree and for next years gifts

14. Knit mini pine trees for next years decor

15. Knit mini pumpkins and acorns for fall decor


Wow.  That's a lot of stuff to make… I have no illusions that I will get all of this stuff done this year.  If I even manage to get 1/4 of it finished this year, I'll be one happy girl.

Monday, December 30, 2013

Fabric Fast & Intervention

So, in a few days I will begin a fabric fast for 6 months.  Yes, I know… I'm about to go crazy thinking of all the gorgeous lines coming out in a few months that I will not be able to purchase! sigh It will be good great for me though.  If you could see my stash you would be embarrassed for me.  It fills a closet, an armoire, shelves in my bedroom and has begun to take over my garage.  I need help.  Lots of help.  And support.  So I have joined together with a group of like-minded people to help me out, give encouragement and keep me from going insane when all those beautiful new fabrics start popping up everywhere.  

Here's the rules for Fabriholics Anonymous


GOALS:
- To use the Stash I already have! (well I bought it because I liked it right? So… I should use it!)
- Finish UFOs without distraction by shifting to other new beautiful fabric. (I have so, so many UFO's.  They must be dealt with and either sold in my shop or gifted to lucky friends and family or I could actually make something for myself for a change).
- Stop the insanity of constantly buying the latest and greatest fabric.  (There's no sense buying this beautiful fabric and then letting it collect dust on a shelf.  The world deserves to see these fabrics in all their glory).
- Save the $$$ I spend on stashing.  (Really, seriously.  This is a good enough reason by itself to do this fast.  We are saving for our new house and I'm a huge suck on the fundage right now. Just being real!)
- Destash the fabrics that I realize I am never going to use. (I have already begun this actually a few months ago and have given away so much. Still doesn't look like it.)
FABRIC FAST RULES:
1) No fabric purchases for 6 months beginning January 1, 2014.  (I get heart palpitations just reading this!) 
2) At 6 months reevaluate status and decide whether to keep going for full year.  Evaluation July 1, 2014.  (I can already say without question I am going to continue this fast the entire year.  I just have too much! But … I am going to evaluate what I used/made the most during the first 6 months and decide if I need anything to continue. I'm also allowing myself a few splurges on July 1st for any fabrics I've been completely lusting over these next 6 months.)
3) Create a UFO list and complete them!  (God I do not look forward to this list.  It will be epic.)
4) Exceptions
  • Backing: purchasing a backing to finish a quilt top is permissible.  However, attempting to use fabric in your possession for a backing is preferable.
  • Books and Magazine purchases are allowed as they are not fabric.  Notions acceptable too.
  • Swap Fabric: if hosting/participating in a swap you are permitted to buy fabric to execute swap duties, but you may not join a swap simply for the sake of being able to buy fabric!
  • Items for Shop: if you are making an item for a client and need certain fabric to execute it correctly then that is a major exception - who can blame you? But, stash should be consulted first!

Wish me luck! I'm off to buy more fabric! (What? I've got 2 more days!).

For anyone looking to join this group or follow along with all of us, here's the link.

Sunday, October 20, 2013

it's been so long

wow! it's been almost a month since i've blogged! i have been meaning to log in here and share what's going on but it's been so busy!



this little sweetie turned 3 months old! can't believe it.  i really can't.  he's just so getting big too fast for me.


we also went to the coast for a week long vacation (which was wonderful and much needed).




this made me smile.  in our room one morning at the resort.  daddy and little man drinking their breakfast.





and these cupcakes from a local cupcake shop were amazing! truly.  we stopped there twice and it was pure heaven each time.  maple bacon chocolate cupcakes, triple chocolate ganache, root beer float (with little straws!), pb&j, boston creme pie... seriously, there was not enough time to try them all, but try i did.  as many as possible.  oh yes, and let's not forget peanut butter and chocolate.  just kill me now!



the boys on the sand dunes.  they had so much fun running around on the beach.  they and their dad took their RC racing cars and they all had a blast racing their cars around on the beach and sand dunes. it was so much fun and very relaxing.  we had some family join us for a bit while we were there.  it's always so much fun to have family or friends come visit for awhile.  we are going back again next year - at least once - it was so much fun.

 in quilting news, i'm working on a custom quilt for a customer.  it's a surprise for her in-laws 50th anniversary and all the blocks are being made by friends and family. i'm going to be piecing the blocks together and quilting and binding it.  possibly it was the wrong time of year to take on this project (since it's like, super close to Christmas!) but i really wanted to be a part of such a special event. i mean, 50 years together! that's pretty amazing.   i'll have pictures soon.  i just started receiving some of the blocks and plan to start sewing them together today.  this has to be finished soon so i really can't wait for all the blocks to arrive.  i'm going to start sewing short rows together and then if more blocks arrive soon i can easily add them in.

that's all for now! more soon.

Sunday, September 29, 2013

Scrumptious Table Runner

i did get some time at the machine to finish this little beauty yesterday.  it's not a color combo that i traditionally go for so it was actually kind of fun to break out of my box for a bit.  



fabric line used is Scrumptious by bonnie and camille.  i used 2 of the new mini charm packs moda has started making (a collection of coordinating 2.5" squares for those that don't know).


isn't it great!?! i really like the bright spring colors.  i think it would make a wonderful christmas gift for someone.


and that red polka dot binding? love! i may have to purchase more.  soon.  it's from bonnie and camille's happy go lucky collection.  


it's in the shop if anyone's interested.


that's all i have for today.  we leave this morning for a trip to Long Beach.  out of the 5 of us, 3 are sick (me included) so it should be an eventful trip.
hope you have a great week!

Tuesday, September 24, 2013

Life

 Not as much sewing has been happening around these parts lately.  We've been too busy enjoying the end of summer and loving on a new baby.  A new baby that is almost 3 months old now! I can hardly believe so much time has passed since this little bundle was first placed in my arms.  He's such a happy guy.  He always has a smile for everyone (though he keeps his best smiles for his favorite people).  


At 2 months.  I just love this little guy!

A bit of sewing I managed to do one night while everyone was asleep.  I have it quilted now and am waiting for the binding to arrive in the mail.  I'll post more pics once it's finished.  This one is destined for the shop.
The tiniest of frogs found in our front yard.  We have a lot of frogs around our house and outside in the garden.  I love hearing them croak at all hours of the day and night and the boys sure do love catching them.

A stack of fabric I picked up from JoAnn's a few weeks ago and forgot to share.  Not sure what it will be yet.  I'm thinking the bottom fabric (red poppies on a white text background) will become some placemats with a red border (pictured right above).  I ended up buying the last of the poppy fabric.  Love it!
Playing with a set of new knees just like the ones they put in Jake's moms knees last month.  He was really interested in how the new knees worked and how everything went together.  Benefits of having a grampa that works at the hospital.  He got to see and play with a pair of metal knee joints.



And building.  So much building happening.  With Duplos, legos, wood blocks, stuffed animals, rocks, acorns, old boxes destined for the recycle bin.  These kids love to build.  I am always finding little "creations" (as we refer to them) around the house.  On the floor (and most certainly exactly where you're going to step because why would they be anywhere else?), on counters (right where you just cleaned so you could start making dinner), on the couch (in the very spot that you sit down to nurse the baby every single day, many times a day) and scattered all over their bedroom.

I don't mind so much though.  They're learning and developing skills and it cleans easily enough.  These are the little moments that I cherish.  I love seeing their minds at work and their hands busy.  And really, at such a young tender age, is there anything more important than learning through play? I think not.

And I tell you what, just since this summer this boy has blossomed. He's picked up on writing pretty well all on his own, without any interference, which is exactly how it should be I feel.  His penmanship is great!  He was so proud of himself for reading the sentences and figuring out the word needed all by himself.  And I was too.  He's a pretty amazing little boy.  'Course I think all three of them are and I'm a little biased.


And one more pic of this little sweetheart.  Just because he's so little and smells so sweet and we all can't get enough of him around here.

So that's life these past few weeks for us.  I will hopefully have some more sewing pics to share soon.  I did manage to get a few more small things pieced together last week but no pictures yet.
Hope you're having a great beginning to fall!

Friday, September 20, 2013

Seven

My oldest turned 7 on August 23rd.  I can hardly believe it.  It's such a magical age I think, don't you? Seven is when they start to develop who they really are.  The skin that was just a little too tight sheds away and this beautiful, magnificent little person is there, just waiting to go out and discover what they're made of.  The child disappears - not completely - but too much for this mama to handle just yet.   I look at Aiden and see glimpses of who he is becoming, watch him grow in confidence and knowledge, honing the skills already there and discovering new ones along the way and I'm filled with peace.  He is an amazing person with such a big heart and playful soul and I'm so proud to be his mama.

I tried finding a picture of just him for this post and almost couldn't.  He's such a great big brother that lately any pictures of him are also of another brother or two he's loving on.  

He was so proud to be able to burp Ronan all by himself.  He really is a big help to me and I appreciate all the hard work he puts in (and love that he doesn't think it's work!).
Teaching Odin how to ride his scooter.  Aiden got a scooter for his birthday this year and asked me and Jake if we could get one for Odin since he really loved riding Aiden's.

At the skate park the day after his birthday party.

Looking forward to another wonderful year with you buddy! Love you!

Friday, August 30, 2013

A bit of Gardening

Some of the beautiful tomatoes from the garden.  I'm so pleased we've been getting as many as we have.  Last year none of our tomato plants did well at all.  They have thrived quite well this year and I have plans for many more tomato plants next year.  We gobble them up so quickly they barely make it into the house.

The next day I managed to sneak out and get a few more tomatoes all for myself.  All with some herbs I cut for drying.  Basil on the left and a few different types of mint to the right.  I'll dry the mint to use in teas during the winter months.  

I tried beets for the first time this year and was amazed at how much I love them.  Love.  Them.  They are amazing! I bought an absurd amount from the Farmers Market and roasted them in the oven with some kosher salt and a bit of coconut oil smeared on them.  They were so amazing I could not stop eating them.  Neither could Jake and the boys.  As fast as they came out of the oven they were devoured.  Seriously.  Not one little crumb of them remained by that evening.  I had hopes of preserving them for a winter treat but alas, I don't think I have any hope of getting them to last that long.

A wonderful mid day snack we've all been enjoying.  Tomatoes and basil from the garden with some mozzarella from the farmers market.  Truly delicious.  I love the bounty of summer.

Saturday, August 24, 2013

A Bit of Sewing


So I finally managed to get some sewing done in between being a mom to 3 young ones.  Both the older boys were occupied one afternoon and little Ronan was taking a wonderfully long nap so I decided to sneak over to my sewing machine.  I spent the better part of an hour sewing a few of these blocks together with all my gorgeous little 2.5" scraps.  I was unsure what to make them into... A quilt would be gorgeous with all this bright happiness, but a table runner could be nice too... then my sister-in-law (who isn't even a quilter) mentioned what a nice pillow cover a block would make.  Well duh! Why didn't I think of that?!?  So... I think a few pillow covers and maybe a table runner will be in my near future.  I'm just loving all this bright scrappiness!


Just a few other glimpses of what's going on around here.  My husband surprised me by bringing this beautiful hydrangea plant home to me.  I love these trees and this color was so perfect.  We will plant it in a pot for now and transplant it into the ground once we are moved into the new house (which is hopefully going to be built this fall).


A few samplings from the garden one day.  Some incredibly sweet little tomatoes, basil, spearmint and apple mint.  The tomatoes were gone soon after the photo was taken and the herbs are all drying now - along with many other bundles I've managed to cut, wash and dry.


And how could I not end a post with this sweet face? He is such a joy.  So very loved by all of us.  Doted on by his big brothers.  While I may not be getting much sewing done lately I am enjoying my quiet times with his guy so very much.  Sewing and fabric will always be there.  This little face will not.

Saturday, July 6, 2013

Ronan

We welcomed little Ronan Alexander Joyce into our world on July 2, 2013 at 8:42 am.  He is so very loved by us all.  He has hardly spent any time not being cuddled, loved or held by someone.  

Just a few hours after birth.  He is absolutely perfect.

Just like the two that came before him, I am completely in love with him.  I could just stare at him, hold him and love on him forever.  

Tired mama and baby.  

The four most important people in the world to me.  Trying not to be emotional, but this picture gets me crying every time.  There is so much love and happiness in this one little snapshot.

Well, we are finally home from the hospital and settling back into life.  There won't be much sewing happening around here for awhile.  Recovering from a second c-sec is a lot harder than I thought it would be.  Besides, my machine is in the shop getting fixed right now.  Figured this would be the perfect time for a tune-up since I will be otherwise occupied for a little while.

Hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.  We plan on hanging around home and taking it real easy this weekend.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Shop Sale

Just a quick reminder that I am still running my sale in the shop.  Everything is now 40% off with coupon code OHBABY.  This includes handmade items as well as fabrics.  $25 minimum purchase for code to apply.

Please stop by and check out the shop.  I will be adding some new items - mostly some yardage and scrap bundles - over the next few days.  There may be a few more handmade items popping in too.  Depends on how much energy and free time I have!

Friday, June 21, 2013

Drawstring Bags

I managed to get these both finished yesterday for the boys.  I plan on putting a few goodies and gadgets in them to keep them both busy while they're visiting their new little brother in the hospital soon.  Hopefully very soon.


This one is for my youngest.  He loves blue and brighter colors so I thought this dino print with the bright green polka dot lining would be perfect.


And this one is for my oldest.  He really likes red and orange but I couldn't find a print that had red background with dinos on it anywhere in my stash so I settled for this one that had red/orange dinos on it and then found a large enough scrap for the lining in a brick red with dino fossils all over it.

Instead of making a cord or buying ribbon or drawstring, I decided to use what I had to finish these up quickly and inexpensively.  I found some twine from my Moda precuts.  I always keep these when I open a precut up and I knew one day they would come in handy.

I'm sure the boys are going to love them!  I actually had a lot of fun making them and am already itching to make some more.  I was thinking of making some for myself to hold smaller items and making a few up for birthday gift bags.  I love the idea of using a handmade, reusable bag for a gift.  It's like getting an extra gift.  No waste and a cute little bag to keep for yourself or reuse again.

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

A Sweater for Baby

Just a quick post this morning to show off the sweater I just finished for the new little guy.  It's a 6-12 month sweater so it should fit him well for the cold, rainy fall/winter season here.  This was the first time I've used this pattern and really enjoyed it.  I'll have to update later with the pattern info as I can't seem to find it right now, but it is available on ravelry and I believe was a free pattern.


Please forgive the poor quality of the photo.  It was a rainy and cloudy day so I couldn't get a nice outdoor picture of it today and I really wanted to show it off.

Enjoy your day!

Monday, June 10, 2013

New Curtains

Yesterday I managed to get these curtains finished and hung.  Quite a feat I think, since I'm currently at 36 weeks with this little boy and tired almost every second of the day.  The boys helped me get the clips on the rod and hang it up.  It was fun to do together and they just loved seeing the curtains once I got them clipped up.


Aren't the colors so vibrant? It makes me happy to look at them.  And this morning, when I walked out and saw the sun shining in through them, it just made me smile.  Funny what a little curtain can do to a mood. 


I just love them.  I used Anna Maria Horner voile fabrics from almost all of her collections, cut them into 6" squares and sewed them up into rows of 8 x 9 which seemed to work perfectly for my window.  There are two 8 x 9 panels here so the curtains open in the middle.  This is very important since I have a dog that will rip the curtains down if they aren't left open when we leave.  (He likes to see outside).

I chose not to line or hem these since once we get the new house built I'll have different sized windows.  This way, I can simply take these down when we move and make them into 2 little baby quilts or join them, add some more blocks and make a bed quilt for myself.  The latter option is very appealing!  And with the soft, lightweight voile fabrics and a crisp cotton backing, I think this would make a wonderful summer quilt on my bed.

Enjoy your day! I'm off to the doctors for a check-up and another ultrasound.  They want to see how big this little guy is getting.

Thursday, May 23, 2013

A Five Year Old


Today, my little guy turned 5.  While I'm so excited for him it's also a little sad for me.  He's growing up so fast.  Four just doesn't seem that big, but five? Five sounds big.  Five is growing up.

I heard him get up and pad down the hallway this morning, his blankie and favorite stuffed puppy under his arms, hair all askew from sleep, a little smile on his face.  He came over for a snuggle, looked into my eyes and asked, "Am I five yet?"  I said yes and he patted my cheek, kissed me and said, "Thanks mom.  Thanks for letting me be five now."  Then his brother began singing Happy Birthday to him.  Talk about a heart-melter.

We celebrated his birthday the week before since Daddy was going to be gone this week for work so we had a quiet morning together getting ready for their date with Grampa and Baba (my husbands parents) which happens every Thursday while he's away.  It gives me a nice break to catch up on whatever - or lately, with baby making me more tired than usual, I can get a nice nap in.


I did however get to work on a few sewing projects this week.  I'll have pictures coming soon! I haven't made it to the sewing machine very much lately - it's getting hard to sit in front of it for very long! But I do have some things to finish up so I will have some show-and-tell still, at least until this little guy pops out.

And even though I apparently didn't take pictures of the birthday celebration, here's some recents of my little guy.


Realized I didn't have any birthday pictures of him, but here's a few recent ones.  Contemplating life in the toy cubbies.  I love this one! 

And this was just a few days before his birthday.  Mr. Cool on his way to Costco.  This was actually just a few short hours before he proudly did this by himself...

Cut his own hair.  As he said to me proudly, he used safety scissors so he was safe and did it over the trash can so there was no mess.  He also knew I needed to trim their hair and was trying to help out since I've been so tired lately.  Really, a sweet offer and sweet little boy.  I couldn't be upset.  And hair? It grows back.







Monday, May 13, 2013

Mug Rugs

I managed to find some time one afternoon to sit down and whip up a bunch of these mug rugs.  I had all these little 2.5" squares I had received a while back from Moda and hadn't been inspired yet to make something with them.  I was feeling quite energetic one afternoon last week and wanted to make something so I thought what would be better than some mug rugs.


This one is a Moda fabric but for the life of me I can't remember what collection it's from.  It makes me think of a log cabin and sitting out on the porch looking out over the lake.


These bright pinks and yellows are from the Verna collection.  I had some of these guys leftover from a quilt I made for a friend a few years ago.  Hmmm... maybe a birthday present for her? 




I think these last three are my favorite.  The fabric is Whimsy and I used up every last piece I had for these three guys.  The binding is from Hunky Dory.  I thought it went really well with the soft vintage-like feel of the patchwork squares.  I used a piece of cream with a small print on it that was from my larger scraps and was able to use up almost all of that fabric.

I also managed to get a couple of these done with some tiny scraps I had laying around next to the sewing machine.  I just love them!




All of these are available for purchase in the shop.