Life is good!

I have not been in my sewing room nearly enough lately!  Partly it's just taking a short break.  I don't normally watch much television, but every once in a while I'll start watching some old show on Netflix, and then I just have to binge watch it until I get it out of my system.  I think I'm almost there with my current binge (Chuck - such a cute show, it does make me laugh!) so hopefully I'll get back to the sewing soon. I'm also doing some round robin cross stitches.  This month I'm finishing up one robin and starting a new one, so I have two to do, and I already know one will be late.  But c'est la vie, they will both get done.  A new project popped onto my planning list.  My step-son asked me to make a quilt for him, and I can't tell you how much that means, so I am looking for something special.  I think I've found the perfect pattern, and am focusing in the fabrics.  I will definitely break my no-new-fabric pledge, on which I'd act...

I'm back at the Bakeshop!  I love Kate Spain, so this was a pleasure to work on, and a fun pattern to put together.  I don't usually do applique, but this is pretty straightforward, and because of the large size of blocks goes together very quickly. I ended up making it a queen-sized quilt.  That hadn't been my original plan, but my daughter loved it, and I decided to make it large enough to put on her bed.  She currently has a quilt, but it's a twin sized quilt on a queen sized bed, and it's a design for a younger girl, so I thought this was a good time to upgrade her.  The colors in Canyon are just wonderful - bright and saturated and lovely.  I adore the greys thrown in there, too.   I used the white background fabrics for the outer border, and I'm pleased with how it makes it large enough for a queen bed without distracting from the center.  I had the quilter use a large all-over hexagon based quilting pattern, and I...

I'm working on getting some clothing pieces cut out - I have four cut and ready to sew.  They shouldn't take me long, if I could just find some uninterrupted time.  The kids are back to school, and I'm working on getting the bed-time routine back to a respectable time limit.  It gets a bit ridiculous, and by the time I've put them in bed and finished the dishes, it's time for bed.  And I'm trying to get exercise in daily, too, which eats up yet more time!  My quilt WIP pile is now entirely too small, as well.  I've pulled out Aviatrix to start, and am anxious to get going on that.  I'm going to try and get a bunch of cutting done this weekend, but I'm definitely going to have to come up with a better organizational system than I usually use.  We'll see what I can jigger up.  I also want to add the Moda Building Blocks quilt to my planning list, and try to do it entirely from stash.  We'll see!  Recent Completions!! Madonna and...

A few more changes this week!  Vertical Drop is about half assembled, so it should be into the tops completed pile shortly.  I have spent some time this week cutting out clothes, so not as much progress on the quilting front. Recent Completions!! Madonna and Child Avalon Scrappy Chevrons QuiltCon wall hanging Secret Project   WIPs: Vertical Drop - for Colin? Farmer's Wife (LONG term project! - 21 blocks completed) Blossoms (ender and leader set-up) Needs Binding     Swoon Daisy Chain   At the quilter: Stardust   Park Bench     Top Completed, waiting for quilting: Mosaic Breezeway Planning: Secret Garden (layer cake quilt) Snowbird BOM Elementary Aviatrix Gravity Abacus KaBloom UFO's: Craftsy QAYG quilt (three of twelve completed) Vintage Modern Scrappy Fabulous Flowers - stalled until I figure out how to fix it...

It took a LONG time, but my Vintage Modern sampler quilt is finally finished!  It was a BOM from the Fat Quarter Shop, I think their 2013 mystery sampler.  I used their setting pattern and fabrics, so it's not entirely unique, but I still like the final result!  You'll have to forgive the indoor photos, it was dark and raining, so outside wasn't really an option!  I actually like the look of it hanging from the curtain rod, :), but the sun would bleach it out in short order if I left it hanging there, I'm afraid. I had this one custom quilted, and she did a wonderful job.  So much detail in the blocks and borders! I love the fabric, too.  Vintage Modern was such a perfect name for it.   I think this one will stay with me.  I've covered most of my furniture with quilts at this point, so I'm going to have to come up with some new way to display them, but I'd have a hard time giving this one away!

My little guy headed off to his first day of preschool yesterday!  He's in the afternoon session, so I worked from home in the morning so I could see him off on the bus.  I wasn't quite sure how it would go.  The very first thing he said when he woke up was "I'm not so sure about that bus".  But when the time came, he was quite excited.  He loves the backpack.  It's actually a hand-me-down, but he was thrilled to have one, just like "all the big kids!"  It's the "short bus" that picks up the preschool kids mid-day, and we know the driver well.  He's a great guy, and there is an additional chaperone for them as well.  This one below was right about the second when he realized that I wasn't getting on the bus with him.  He was NOT happy about that development, even though I'd told him many times.  So there were tears as he rode away, but he arrived home happy, so I'm guessing it all worked out! ...