Final finish for June

I do love that you can schedule blog posts. Shhhh. It's really not Saturday. It's really Friday night, but I'm waiting for my sweetie to get home and I figured I'd get this post done.

More loopy meandering. The last of my Dream On fabric.

Of the eight quilts I wanted to finish in the 2nd quarter, this is the fifth. I would have made it to six had I quilted my massive string quilt, but I needed batting for that one. I'm getting stocked up in July, as Jo-Ann's is having a sale plus I can score an extra 20% off if I drag my husband and his student ID with me. It sometimes pays to be students.

Have a great weekend and a great 4th of July (if you're a Yank - if not, well, have a good Wednesday next week!).

Friday Finish, the Friday edition

I know, I have crazy title writing skills, right?

Okay, here is quilt two of the three I finished this week. All part of my goals for the Finish-Along.

I know I might have whined a little about piecing that quilt back, but it turned out so cute. I just might do this whole pieced back thing again. I quilted it with a meandering loop. I can't seem to do a stipple. My brain wants to loop it, so I loop it. Guess I'm loopy (not a surprise, really).

My big question is this: would this make an acceptable baby quilt? I have a friend who is having her sixth little girl. I'm pretty sure she doesn't need more baby-sized blankets, but this one she could grow up with. It would fit a toddler bed too.

Linking up this one. I'll have one more tomorrow.

And now I have to go get beautiful. My man is coming home tonight!

Friday Finish, the early edition!

I realized that each of these quilts has to have it's own post, so I'll be posting three days in a row. Because this girl got 'er done! Here is the third quilt I've finished for the 2nd quarter finish-along.

I give you the Orange Dream On Jelly-Filled quilt. This one is a birthday present for a lovely aunt. In October.

Do you like all the clover in my yard? I'd like to think we're a bee-friendly family. And while I can manage to get a few minutes here and there to sew throughout the day, I can't exactly do the same with the lawn. Oh well. The bees are happy, even if my neighbors look on the lawn with disgust. I'm over it.

 That would be my favorite block right there.

And I love the binding. Wish I had more so I could use it for my string quilt. If ya see it, clue me in because it is impossible to find!

There ya go. Tune in tomorrow for another one. And then Saturday. And then I'm on vacation, because my husband will be home and I will be one happy girl!

Random thought

Someone should really make a seam ripper that looks like a wand. So I can cast spells whilst ripping seams.

Come on, I'm not the only Harry Potter geek out there who would be shouting "Expecto stitchum!"

Fabric Tuesday: the one where I got a little distracted

I didn't get that strawberry pinwheel quilt basted until this afternoon, so I might have gotten sidetracked by those triangles.

And I might have finished a quilt top.

These triangles are huge. Like 8.5 inches huge. Perfect for big prints.

The official stats:

Fabric: Apple of My Eye by Riley Blake
Pattern: sorta used this one by Lori Holt, but I didn't have the right triangle ruler that it calls for. And honestly, $14 for a pattern that basically says, "Cut a bunch of big equilateral triangles. Lay them out and sew them together. Baste, quilt, bind." It's a bit ridiculous. Still, I'm the idiot who bought it. Figured there'd be something special about it. There's not.
Finished size: 62 ish X 84 ish - I added an extra row, so mine is probably in the 92ish range

Linking up, because I can!

Make-A-List Monday: too busy to post!

No pictures (don't hate me).

Nothing particularly funny to say.

But I have two of the three quilts quilted. I'm basting the last one tonight (after bedtime) and quilting it up tomorrow/Wednesday. Binding 'em all and putting my feet up. For three seconds.

Oh, and I cut all those triangles I was talking about. So here is your one picture for the day (see, I'm a liar!):

And as a bonus, because I found this on my camera and am still in awe of these amazing storm clouds, I offer an extra picture. Seriously, look at all those greys. Or grays. Either way, those are some pretty fascinating clouds. Makes me wish I could paint.

Have a great week! I'll be reporting back once I get that last quilt finished!

Skies are blue . . .

Just something pretty to look at while I'm burning the midnight oil getting quilts quilted.

Goals are great things. I need to be better about completing them earlier rather than later. Wish me luck - three quilts to quilt before next Friday (because who am I kidding - once my husband arrives next Friday night, the last thing I've got planned is quilting!).

WIP Wednesday: why Camille Roskelley is not a fibber

Not that I ever had a reason to doubt her, not even for a second.

But I know I'm not the only one who has this thought run through my head (please, tell me I'm not the only one!):

"Easy for her to say. She does this for a living." And I say it in my non-snarky voice. It's more of an "I'm in awe of her awesomeness" voice. That one.

See, I get it all the time when it comes to baking something (I trained as a pastry chef in my previous, non-mommy life). And I think it all the time when it comes to computer stuff my husband says is easy. When you know what you're doing, and you do it all the time, then sure, it's easy.

But this quilt really is easy. 

She's not fibbing. When she says this quilt is easy, she means it. I had already cut the fabric, and I sat down yesterday, late afternoon, and pieced all the blocks together.

Laid them out this morning. Rearranged them a few times. (Can't have similar colors/patterns right next to each other if I can help it). Sewed the top together.

Quilt top done in less than 24 hours. I like. I like a lot.

Doesn't hurt that the fabric is Lucy's Crab Shack. And I need more of it. Much more of it.

Okay, back to what I should be working on. I just forgot how difficult it was to baste a quilt with a crawling baby. Like, impossible. So I'm piecing tops again because she'll let me do that. Basting, not so much. That is her territory and how dare I intervene. Unless I give her a cookie.

Stop looking now if you don't want to see a cutie with her first chocolate chip cookie.

 

I just don't have enough cookies to get a quilt basted. Guess I'll have to wait until after bedtime tonight to baste that quilt. In the meantime, I'm piecing.

Piece out!

And Camille, if you happen to read my silly little blog, I hope you know I'm a huge fan. And I would never call you a liar, or a fibber, or anything else other than awesome. Promise.

Make-A-List-Monday, er, Tuesday

I read somewhere that you shouldn't make excuses on your blog for not posting.

But it's my blog and I promise to make my excuses entertaining with true stories. Or at least slightly embellished ones because those are funnier, right?

Why Jennie (that's me) did not post yesterday:

1. I was recovering from Sunday. Sunday is a day of rest for other people. For moms, it is extra work. Add in there a 2.5 year old who is mostly potty trained, but still has to be rushed to the bathroom when he says he needs to go, and if you don't you have an accident on your hands in the MIDDLE OF CHURCH. God has a great sense of humor, and by some miracle his church pants didn't get wet. But his socks and shoes did, so he was barefoot the rest of the day at church. (Note: I did not embellish this story at all!). And then we came home and watched Veggie Tales and ate spaghetti and I took a billion pictures of my kids' feet for Father's day. See the photo about as proof of my insanity. Do you know how hard it is to get five children to a) look at the camera; b) smile; and c) have their feet in the right position? Yeah, that hard. But my man loved it and that's what counts.
2. I was buried under 6 yards of yellow minky. I was piecing the back for my yellow and orange string quilt. It's done and ready for quilting (as soon as I score some batting!).
3. I was worried that the curse words in my head would make it to the blog as I was piecing the back for my strawberry pinwheel quilt. I've come to a conclusion about pieced backs - they are like marathons. You don't enjoy the process (at least I know I wouldn't/didn't), but you sure are proud of yourself when it's all done. After you've had a chocolate milkshake and a long nap.

Three is good, right? Okay, my fourth excuse is that I ate all my Ben and Jerry's Half Baked and was working out an elaborate scheme to get more. Because going to the store is too complicated - it involves five children, 10 shoes (preferably matching ones) and keys that are lost.

I don't have much to show for what I did - how boring would it be to see six yards of yellow minky? If that's your thing, right on. But I'm not taking a picture for you - use your imagination!

I lied - pictureless blogs are so very boring. You're welcome.

Here you go: blob o' yellow minky. Don't I have mad photography skills? Try not to hate me. And I made it X-Large, just so you could see all that detail. I'll do a tutorial later on how to take a picture like this. Very complicated stuff.

And a teaser photo of that quilt back. It makes me happy. It d*#$ well better make me happy, because I think it took longer to make than the quilt top!

But here is my to-do list for the week:

• Baste and quilt that pink/orange Dream On quilt. 2 weeks left for the 2nd Quarter FAL.
• Baste (at least) and quilt (maybe) the blue/green Dream On quilt. It was also on my list for the 2nd Quarter FAL.

That's it. 

What's on your list for the week?

Friday Finish: Cutting it Close!

I like deadlines. I really do. I mostly like the whooshing sound they make as they fly right past me.

I think I might have given my sewing buddy heart failure. I cut this one a wee bit too close for comfort, even for me.

When you're making quilts, you sorta forget all the notions that go along with bags and clothes - zippers, buttons, grommets, interfacing . . . And in my small little town, grommets and grommet tools are challenging to come by. Walmart actually saved the day, believe it or not.

I didn't love the pattern. I'm a one step per step kinda gal. Don't give me multiple instructions in a single step. Drives me batty.

Still, it turned out pretty cute, don't ya think?

The fabric is from Micheal Miller's Backyard Bug and Bella Butterfly collections. (As a small aside, I think it's awesome that I can buy fabric from Fabric.com through Amazon. I'm always getting Amazon gift cards as gifts and I don't always want books. And free shipping if I spend $35? Can't beat it. The only downside is you have to buy 1 yard cuts, but I'm kinda okay with that.) Okay, back to the backpack.

A girly girl I do not have. She refused a butterfly backpack. She preferred the fabric with snakes and bugs and critters. This was no surprise, really, as she asked for stuffed snakes and dinosaurs last year for her birthday. She loves raptors and orcas and rattlesnakes. Her nickname is Bumblebee and I buy brown pants for her because she is always in the dirt.

 See, that's one of her snakes in there. One of several.

Love my adventurer! She kinda reminds me of Ellie in "Up" actually.

Adventure is out there!

My sewing buddy, Nicole, made a coordinating messenger bag for her little guy. Seriously, could this bag be any cuter?

The stats:

Both bags are from Michael Miller Backyard Bugs/Bella Butterfly fabric

My bag pattern: Daisy Girl Backpack by Fig Tree & Co.

Her bag pattern: from Oliver + S Little Things to Sew (which I am totally buying and making messenger bags for my boys)

Linking up for Sew and Tell and Whooping it up at Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Have a great weekend - we'll be missing our man on his special day, but we sent him some love in the mail.

Make-A-List Monday: rested and raring to go!

Am I the only one who misses her sewing machine? I mean, I don't lie awake dreaming of it or anything totally crazy like that. But when I find little bits of time to myself that I would normally fill with some sewing, I get to missing my Juki-girl.

But we're back together and she's not mad at me for being gone. She's good tempered that way.

So I'm back and ready to go. But I'm not super ambitious this week - catching up on laundry and grocery shopping will have to take priority.

But here's what I've got to do:

Sort this stack o' fabulousness that arrived from the brights color spectrum swap while I was gone:

Cut a gazillion triangles, because triangles are my new favorite thing. Equilateral ones.

And baste this quilt and git 'er done.

Oh, and get that backpack done. Tomorrow. That will be done tomorrow.

There. That's all. How's about you? What's on the agenda?

Make-A-List Monday Week 9: time for a vacation!

I promise, no complaints about single momhood.

I drowned those with a Dr. Pepper yesterday. The enemy was slaughtered.

How was last week? Mine was okay, although I think I forgot mid-week what my plans actually were and started working on whatever struck my fancy. Or had the soonest deadline.

Charms cut - check! Shipping those out this week when I feel brave enough to go to the post office with five kids, one of whom is two and exceptional at acting his age. Like, tantrums on the floor in the middle of the library. Super fun.

Quilt - finished! And since someone said they'd love to see all my red/aqua quilts together, i was determined to get some pictures.

Can I say that, today, I love where I live? Love the wheat fields in spring/early summer. Love the blue sky today.

I sewed together this stack o' lovelies for a quilt for our friends who are graciously hosting my husband for the summer. Did I mention she just had a baby? Her sixth baby? Like a month ago? Yeah, awesome people.

I ordered some of Lucy's Crabshack because, well, it's adorable. And the foodie side of me thought that it would be perfect for the Thimbleblossom pattern Piece of Cake 3. Crab cakes! And since I have a tendency to buy fabric and put it away and forget what it was intended for later, I went ahead and cut it. So my Crab Cakes quilt is ready to be pieced.

My daughter's backpack is cut out and I'm starting to sew it this week. My local JoAnn's is lacking in certain notions (seriously, it's what I don't love about where I live), so I'm getting what I need when I go to visit my mom. Because I get a vacation!


Okay, it's not a vacation. It's a change of scenery. I will still have five kids. But I will have grown-ups to talk to in the evenings. And I get to spend half the day on Thursday with one of my dearest friends. And I get to see my husband. For 2 whole days! And we're going to a combine demolition derby on Saturday. My six-year-old is so excited - crashing tractors, what could be better!

So, my list this week is short, because I'll be packing and cleaning and getting ready to go.

• Sew as much of daughter's backpack as possible - until I get the notions I need and get home 
• Ship charm swaps and giveaway prizes (sorry winners - they are coming soon!)
• Clean the sewing room

I might take something to my mom's to work on as well. She has a machine with some decorative stitches and I don't, so I might take advantage of that. We'll see.

What's on your list this week?

Friday Finish, the early evening edition

Boy howdy it's been a week. Any single moms out there, I tip my hat and raise a cold Dr. Pepper in your honor, because honestly, this is impossible. I mean, it's possible, but it's hard.

Like, really, hard.

Wow, how profound was that. My English professors (yes, I have a creative writing degree) would be ashamed of my lame description. I don't care. My brain cells are frying.

Okay, but honestly, I love it and I loved today. It's been a great day, which is why this post is late.

And I do have a finish. Whoop whoop!

That's right, mark another of the ol' list. My 2nd quarter finish-along list is getting shorter! And it's such a great time to cuddle with a flannel quilt. Um, not really. I'll give it to my husband so he doesn't freeze, poor man.

Gotta say, I like this one a lot.

 'Member how I said I'm famous (in my head) for a gingham binding. Well, I'm also partial to a scrappy binding. Because, hey, I didn't have enough aqua gingham, or aqua chevrons, or aqua polka dots, so I just mixed them all together. Because I can.

 Backed in red flannel. Honestly, this is the last time I back a quilt in flannel. Well, I might try a flannel sheet, but I'm not buying anymore bleeding flannel. And no, I'm not using a British expletive. I mean this flannel bleeds. I pre-washed it. I used a truckload of Color Catchers. I washed it FIVE times. It worked, but sheesh.

Oh, and if you're feeling blue, or taking care of five kids by yourself and going a little batty, please visit Cake Wrecks. Be prepared to laugh until you cry. Don't do it while you're trying to nurse a baby to sleep. The two don't mix. Oh, good times.

Linking up with Sarah at Confessions of a Fabric Addict who has a gorgeous quilt with a great story.

Have a fabulous weekend!