My ARRR8 Quilt top has come home!!!

Can you believe this started out like this:

I made this center for my round robin group thinking that I would need to add a border or two at the end for it to fit our Queen sized bed.....but, as you can see from the first photo, it is so big I don't have space on my floor to display it! I'm super excited and in love with the evolution of this quilt. My only dilemma now....to make the backing. I don't have enough fabric to finish it quite yet. I am going to see, I may be able to use all that I have left over from the front to piece a fabulous scrappy back. That might be the right thing to do. I will update on the progress for sure.

Now, to add to this special mail day, one of the lovely ladies in the group (Susan)  made these burpies for me and sent them with the quilt top....she was the last to add to it. They are so perfect and I can't wait to use them. 

They were wrapped up so cute.....she made me two of them and here is a picture! 

Tomorrow I will show you the other surprise this group made for me! You aren't going to want to miss this one believe me! :)

My Quilt top is home!!

 I don't know if you remember seeing a few posts regarding this quilt top, but it is finally home! This group was a round robin, well more of a "Bee Free Bee's" round robin. We had complete creative liberty to add what we wanted to for each round that came our way. This is what arrived in my mail box today!!! I love it! 

Originally I wanted to make it a baby quilt, cause I was thinking I would get a girl this time, but since I am having my fourth (and last) boy, I am going to quilt it and display in my studio! Isn't it so cheerful and divine? It is just so fresh I love staring at it! Each round has a unique touch to it and it has made this all the more fun.

When the signups came up again, I had to, sadly, turn the next round down because I will be having my baby right when we start, and I didn't think that would be fair to make someone wait right off the bat for their top. I didn't want to delay anything. So, I am going to do round 3 for sure! It's a the Flickr group Around the Bend and Across the Pond !! I highly recommend joining and doing this because you not only get a fabulous quilt, but you will make life long friends too!

I'm going to add a border around this and then quilt it up. Since I've been taking Angela Walters Free Motion quilting class online, I am going to use some of those techniques to fill it in.....can't wait to show you! Stay tuned for this finished project. 

Till then.....create on!

Riley Blake Project finished!

Umm....is it almost the end of July? Holy smokes!! I have been so MIA these past months and I do have several valid excuses, but none of them are necessary to bring up. However, I am finally feeling better and able to do things again and so hear I am!!

The last post I talked about the Riley Blake challenge over at MomItForward and I thought it was due time to show it to you.

I ended up making a sundress because I didn't have enough time to make a quilt with it. (oh, but don't worry, I have extra left over and I'm already working on a quilty) Anywho, if you would like to read my article you can read it HERE. But here are the photos of my project. 

Disclaimer: you are about to witness something VERY cute!!! Be prepared (and I don't mean the dress)!!

She's a natural in front of the camera...

A little ballet pose....

We tried to get her to twirl but she was so serious she said nope. haha

 

At the end of the photo shoot she was VERY disappointed when her mom made her take off the dress.  :) If I end up having a boy, she will get this dress for sure! 

Last time I made this dress was about 12 years ago....What do you think?

I have a blog? Yep.....

I am not sure if there is still anyone out there in my online land left, but I have to fill you all in on a few crazy events that have hit our household! In May, I was scheduled for surgery on my ankle to reconstruct some tendons that I broke while running in January. While waiting in the Pre-Op I was hit with some crazy news! I was told by the nurse that I was pregnant! I think the best way to describe myself and my husband was deer in the headlights! After we were told the surgery would have to wait, we were on our way out to the car in shock! 

Well, fast forward to today, I have been having some serious nausea and haven't felt much like doing anything. I barely have been able to sew my additions to the round robins I'm doing....but the other day I received an email from Jill over at Mom It Forward about a challenge I was to be a part of. I had completely forgotten about this because I never received the fabric.....until today! Check out this lovely stack of fabrics..

Aren't they yummy? They are from the line Millie's Closet by Riley Blake! I have a couple things I want to do with these, but he challenge is to make something that revolves around kids. So, I am going to make a cute little sundress and possibly a hair bow to match! And those of you who know me, I have to make a quilt with the rest of it! I will be working on this project for the next couple days so I can finish it and prepare my blog post for Mom It Forward .....you should check out this site, it is so fun!

Once again, sorry for the lack of posting, but that is going to change....stay tuned for my projects.

My addition for Pam!

So I have completed my round for the Round Robin over at the Flickr group Around the Bend and Across the Pond! This is for Pam and I wish I could keep it! Isn't it cool? I added the chevrons. The only request from her was to keep with the same colors.....DONE! 

I just need to trim the edges so they are straight with the corner squares....what do you think?

Here is a closer shot of the chevrons....

 

Wish I could keep it! hahaha.....

Dottie Angel Challenge Complete...or is it?

I have a lot of new readers since this time last year, so to enlighten those of you who are new last year at this time I decided to embark on a challenge of the "utmost kind". I discovered a challenge over on the blog Dottie Angel! I was amazed at her blog when I read it and I must admit that I frequent her lovely blog often. I love the clean simplicity of it and it makes me sincerely jealous that I do not live in the Northwest because they clearly have better thrift stores. However, the challenge was to purchase only handmade or secondhand items for my closet or my home for one year! 

I will be honest, at first when I saw the challenge my first thought was "no problem, finances are tight and I can't really buy anything new anyway." So, I embarked on this challenge. I am very proud to say that I completed this challenge with only 2 new items received this year...both were shoes. And, I must add, in the challenge it is said that what others gift to you does not count. My husband bought me a pair of sneakers from Target on clearance for $8 for my birthday and for Christmas he bought me my ever coveted running shoes (price not necessary to list). Both, however, were gifts. 

Now, to get to the important part of this challenge. I had times when I simply couldn't wait for the challenge to be over so I could buy myself something new. Now, this challenge for me ends in 2 days. I started it February 1, 2011 and this challenge has transformed my life. Thank you Tif!  I did not think that it would change me in the way it has, because now I can no longer buy new items. I am so used to seeing my lovely thrift store purchase prices and I can't bring myself to do it. 

I just want to recap with you some of my favorite purchases this past year....

This set I bought for .99 cents! 

Tahari shoes for $5~yes please!

Some lovely vintage sheets and a casserole dish....LOVE!

This shelf stores all of my thread for my quilting! 

Vintage Pyrex!! Need I say more!

And some cute rain boots...these go fishing too around these parts!

I have to admit, these finds were fabulous! But I love what I have in my closet and I can't wait to find more great grabs! My husband asked me if I would be happy with $100 to go shopping at Kohl's I said, "If I had $100 I would take it to the thrift store and I could replace my entire closet!" he just smiled. Yep, I think I have changed..... 1 outfit from the department store or a whole new closet from the thrift store...for me, that's a no brainer!

I am going to keep going on this challenge! Want to join me?

Have a Fabulous Day!!

More with Dresdans and LV Modern Quilt Guild

 Here is my Dresdan stack for my Christmas wall hanging. I have been dying to do something with this fabric for a whole year now and I am loving the Dresdans!

Chain sewing....

My quilt guild had us do something with this fabric...it was whatever we wanted and our show and tell is this Saturday.

Here is the back...

So, I made a mini. I really think this fabric is cool! It's by Free Sprirt and it's called Habitat.

day eight through fourteen projects

sad to say, but i had to really study for Biology during the week for projects eight through 13 i accomplished nothing noteworthy.  i did crochet a hat while listening to my Political Science lectures online, but that will be for another day.

now, day 14 is today! i just finished a bee block that was due in December...i am a slacker! i should have finished it before school started, but i was too caught up in all the other things i wanted to do. but, i finially finished it and will be sending it tomorrow. what do you think?

day six and seven project

this was my first attempt to knit a hat. i had a couple really cute patterns, but since i really don't speak 'knitting' that well, i just deicided to make up my own pattern. i made it to match my scarf. (sorry for the scary pictures of yours truely) i should have been studying but i just had to finish this puppy.  it's not perfect, but it works. what did you do?

day five project

i didn't start this scarf today, but i finally finished it! i used three different colors just for fun....and because i had these three random colors. i actually like the diveristy of it. it's just a basic rib pattern. what did you do today?

day four project

i baked homemade fries for my boys! this was the first time i had ever made fries in the oven and they were a hit.  after cutting them i rinsed off the startch then sprayed olive oil on them...cooked them for about 35 minutes then salted them. easy peasy.  i haven't gotten around to many sewing projects this month, school is consuming me. however, i will be tackling my bees that are long over due this weekend...stay tuned.  what did you do today?

day three project

this little bin was my first attempt. i'm not too sure if i like it enough to send to my partner.  i may just have to make her another one.  i also want to add a pillow in her package.  this was my project for the day...now, back to biology. what did you do today?

day two project

for weeks my five year old has been begging me to make cookies.  i being strict with what i've been consuming, naturally wanted to avoid making something so tasty. however, i did join the project a day in February over on flickr and this was something i cold whip up then get back to my other tasks at hand. these cookies are the softest cookies ever....compliments of my sister Jenn. they are so soft they practically melt in your mouth. what did you do today?

RECIPE UPDATE:

Jenn's Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 Sticks of butter at room temperature

3/4 Cup Brown Sugar

3/4 Cup Sugar

1 tsp. Vanilla

2 eggs at room temperature

Cream eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla.

In a seperate bowl mix:

2 1/4 Cup flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp baking soda

Add this to the creamed mixture. Simple.

The trick.....Bake at 375 F for 8-9 minutes only.

Enjoy!

all i want to do is sew...

i'm trying to get in the mood, for the fourth time today, to read through my biology lessons. ugh. i tell you, there is a reason i am into english, writing and art. 

anyhow, i am starting today with two new challenges.  this is my first day of the dottie angel challenge, where i pledge to only buy handmade or thrifted items for my house and my closet.  i did have a spectacular find today at a local thrift store....

these were new and still in the box....the best part of it all was it only cost me .99 cents!  now....i'm in search for another set or two...time to change out the old dishes and get something new and fresh, with smaller portion sizes. i love that these bowls and plates are smaller so we won't fill up the plates to capacity each time and over eat.

the next challenge is a craft a day in february.  i decided to do this because i have my dqs10 quilt to finish up, my last two bees that are being neglected tremendously, my old red barn quilt along 9, my urban home goods swap, a quilt that needs to be quilted and three others that need assembling and finishing off. and to top it off, i need to finish assembling my tutorial quilt. **phew** just makes me tired thinking about it.

my three neglected quilts that need assembly.

my dqs10 ready to quilt.

my gorgeous OZ pinwheel quilt waiting for quilting. still not sure if i want to keep the backing fabric to make a skirt and just do a kona solid for the back. decisions decisions..probably why it's not quilted yet.

the rest of my orbc round 9 waiting for the finishing touches.

these two combos will be for my urban home swap..i'm going to make little storage bins...the tutorial is here. aren't they cute?

this beauty is for my tutorial for this quilt that i promised to make.

on top of it all...i have to study for biology and political science...the last of my generals before the fun stuff! wish me luck.  what are you up to this month? and this year?

the dottie angel challenge

this morning i was checking out some blogs and came across the cutest blog i have seen in months! i found this challenge that she posted (in Sept. 09) but i want to do it too! so i am ready for the challenge...want to know more? i am pledging to only buy handcrafted or secondhand goods for my house and my own closet for 365 days. i have to say that i just love this idea and i think it will make this year very exciting. i love the eclectic look and since my house is lacking in style now is a great time to start. i am starting on February 1st just to make it easy to remember. head on over to see dottie angel and tell me what you think.  want to join me?