Dancing a Quilty Jig!

I finished! I finished! I finished! Down to the wire, but it is still February and it is complete!

Pinwheel Crazy

 

Scrappy binding

Little helper

My big helper isn't here and I just couldn't wait to put up this post. Perhaps when he gets home there will still be daylight and I can take a better picture.

The quilting just about did me in. My machine was having fits and skipping stitches and I could not figure out what was causing it. It was very frustrating. I am so glad for A Lovely Year of Finishes. No doubt, this sweet top would have languished in a state of unfinished-ness for too long.

I have already decided what my March project will be. It is much smaller. More on that in another post.

Linking to A Lovely Year of Finishes February Completions! and Crazy Mom Quilts.

Cheers, Katie

 

Posted with Blogsy

Slow Progress is better than no progress

Hello Friday friends! How are you out there? Things here at Nap Time have been a bit stressful, but we are working through it. A sick toddler isn't good for Mom's already high blood pressure. But, I am officially 32 weeks pregnant today, which is awesome! Five full weeks more pregnant than I was when I delivered my little miracle girl. The blood pressure issue is making my doctors a bit antsy, as you can imagine, so my progress on things has really sloooooowed down while I rest and take it easy. *sigh*

I am still sewing, but I am limiting my time at the machine. Even with that restriction, I did manage to get a finish this week! Behold my squirrel lap quilt in all of it's glory ("mommy, there's no squirrels on dat blankie")

Big quilt holder

Little quilt holder

I attempted a new binding technique. It is Sharon Schambers glue technique and let me tell you, works like a dream. I am officially a convert. Look at that mitre! You can find a video of it on YouTube. I only used glue on the back and machine stitched in the ditch from the front, but I may go full monty with it next go round. She suggests a much more intensive process than I used, I encourage you to check it out. **I used washable Elmer's glue, and it washed out just fine**

I quilted it with a decorative serpentine stitch and my walking foot. I really like how it turned out. The backing is part of a fitted sheet. I found the set on sale at Ross and fell for the print. Even on sale it was still a bit more than I wanted to pay, so I am going to make sure I use every little bit. I splurged because of the print AND it is Egyptian cotton. So soft!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend. I am off to figure out a hand sewing project I can do while sitting with my feet up. I see hexies in my future!

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Pinwheel Crazy....still

I have officially finished all 20 blocks for my pinwheel quilt! Feels good to have that step behind me.

I have been going back and forth on how to finish it. I swear ruminating is a longer part of the process than actually sewing, quilting, and binding :) I think I have finally settled on a small white border, maybe 2 inches, an all over large meander quilting, and a scrappy binding. After all that, I have to find the best way to attach it to the wall. Any suggestions there?

And now, for an accountability photo. This is the baby/guest room currently...

I have GOT to get this room in order! Hopefully, when I post about my finished pinwheel quilt, I can also post a finished bedroom! Putting this mess out there will provide a bit of motivation, I believe.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Katie

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts and A Lovely Year of Finishes mid month check in.

 

Posted with Blogsy

Happy Birthday to Me!

My birthday was on the 10th and I just got one of my gifts in the mail today....

Swoon!

The prints in the first picture are all Sarah Jane, isn't she so talented? I love her stuff. The 'polk dots' are all Robert Kaufman Spot On. I have no shame, these fabrics make my heart happy. Even better? When I opened the package Charlotte immediately claimed the little whale/narwahl fabric as her 'favorite fabric ever!' I am sorry honey, I think I am passing down the obsession.

As an aside, I am also loving Hawthorne Threads. They are an online fabric company with fast and friendly service, but really it is their wonderful selection that keeps me coming back. I live in Texas, which means I live in Moda country, so it can make finding other designers and manufacturers a bit difficult. Don't get me wrong, I love Moda, but there are just so many wonderful fabrics out there and I really want to see, feel, and sew with them all! Also, I should point out that I have no affiliation with Hawthorne Threads and was not compensated in any way. Just sharing the love :)

I hope you are all enjoying this beautiful day!

Katie

 

Posted with Blogsy

The Sweetest Finish

My daughter is my shadow, mini-me, helper, and number one fan. Most of the time, I absolutely love being her all time favorite person in the world (sometimes it can be a bit exhausting, but I am sure you all don't know anything about that :) She likes to sit with me when I sew and we talk and play and she asks one million questions and I try my best to answer them all. She knows that pins are sharp and the iron is hot and that she is not allowed to touch either of them. I really cherish this time we spend together. I want her to know that she can do anything by applying herself and trying and I hope our sewing time will help teach her that lesson in a small way.

She asked me not long ago if she could sew with me, so we gathered some scraps and she sat on my lap and we sewed through those scraps until her little heart was content. A week or so later, I found myself at JoAnn's, with her in tow, and all of their flannel was on sale (60% off!). So, I let her pick her favorite one and got a two yard cut of it.

Today she asked if we could sew a blanket. And that is exactly what we did.

She sewed this entire blanket! We put right sides together and stitched around, turned it and she poked out the corners (with her tiny little fingers), then she chose a zig zag stitch and we top stitched around the edges. After that, I told her we probably needed some stitching in the center to keep everything in place and she decided we needed three lines of zig zag stitching at random intervals across the blanket. When it was time to clip threads, she got upset I wouldn't let her use the "big girl scissors" and she threw a tantrum, as 3 year olds are wont to do. She ran to her room and slammed the door (yes, already, at 3). I decided the blanket needed another little touch, so I did this, to remind her that I love her, even when she is being a stinker...

She got over her tantrum fairly quickly and she is in LOVE with her blanket. We even had to FaceTime Grandma to show her.

I am so proud of her. This is our first official project completion together and I am looking forward to many more :)

Cheers, Katie

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts

 

Posted with Blogsy

Miracle Friday Finish!

Ok, that may be a bit much, but earlier today I was lamenting that I didn't have a Friday finish. Someone must have been listening, because the sewing fairies smiled upon me and I was able to cobble together almost two hours of sewing to finish this quilt top! This is my "squirrel" project I mentioned earlier this week.

And as if that wasn't enough, my husband came home early and was able to hold it up for a proper outdoor lit photo! I must be living right :) Now, how to quilt it?

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Katie

Linking up to Crazy Mom Quilts

 

Posted with Blogsy

Goals are Good

No finish today, not even a small one :( sigh

I will press on though. I decided I may need a bit more incentive to get the baby's quilt done in a timely manner, so I am going to link up to Shanna and Melissa's A Year of Lovely Finishes. I missed January and I doubt I will be able to participate every month this year, but I will jump in when I can.

Up this month? My pinwheel quilt for the baby's room. We had to get rid of our big guest room furniture so that we could fit a guest bed AND a crib into the third bedroom. I decided the now frameless bed would need a visual headboard and what better than a quilt hanging on the wall to act as one?

My pattern

I am using Bonnie and Camille's Ruby line with a bit of Vintage Modern mixed in and Michael Miller painters canvas as the background.

So far, all of my HSTs are done. I have all of my 3.5 inch squares cut, squared, and separated into blocks. I also have 9 of the 20 blocks sewn together.

My goal is to have it completely finished by February 28th. Sewn, basted, quilted, and bound. The whole nine yards.

Wish me luck! What are you all working on?

Katie

February Goals link

 

Posted with Blogsy