Baby Showers

So I missed writing last Friday because I had my ER rotation and it really cut down on my internet time.  And then there was Thanksgiving....but I'm here now :)

So baby showers, I love them.  I love making something super special and handmade for the baby and mommy-to-be.  I see so many cute things for babies on the sewing blogs, and since I don't have any babies in my life I simply add it a list of "things I will make one day when I have a baby of my own."  Except for when I am invited to a shower, perfect opportunity to try out a new design so when I make it for my own babies one day, I'll have tested it already!  

Anyway, I was invited to two showers this month, a girl shower and then a boy shower.  And I saw this super cute diaper tricycle on pinterest and knew I had to make it:

Isn't it adorable?!?!

And a little boy tricycle (I made this one at work, hence the office background)

The little girl also got a simple little quilt made of 2 one yard pieces of fabric and some leftover batting:

I love all of the animals on this IKEA fabric, so cute and not gender specific.  

I decided that I didn't have time to add binding, so I just sewed right sides together and flipped it and then I top stitched all the way around.  I free motion quilted some circles at regular intervals to finish it off (on my own machine using a darning foot, so proud of myself!)

 Dakota approves of the blanket.  She also approves of mommy sitting on the floor, it must be play time!

I tend to over do on gifts (I get a little carried away!), and this time was no different.  I topped off the gift with 5 burp cloths that I appliqued some pretty fabric on.  I had seen these out in the blog world before, but when I came across a tutorial on pinterest, I decided it was time to make some.

Pretty and girly, but not too much so :)

Ready for baby Aubrey to enjoy.

The little boy got 2 little take along blankets.  One made by me and one made by his soon to be big sister/auntie (long story short, she was adopted by her grandparents).  It was a fun project for us to do together as she really wants to learn to sew and I'm trying to teach her.  She really liked making something special for her new baby brother.  We used this tutorial, I love the ribbons all along the outside!

Minky on one side.

And cotton on the other.

I've always heard that minky is so hard to work with.  It wasn't easy, but I was expecting a lot worse, not so bad on the small scale!  Okay, someone else get pregnant and invite me to the shower, I need an excuse to sew instead of doing school work ;)

I am so bad at this blogging thing.

Ok y'all, I want to be a blogger, I love reading them, but I am terrible about making time to write them.  Because of this, I have decided that Fridays are going to be blogging days.  A lot of bloggers have started doing pinterest posts, and since I LOVE pinterest, and I am already so very inspired by pinterest, I will do weekly pinspiration posts!

But first things first: NURSING SCHOOL IS HARD.  This semester is kicking my butt.  I don't know what I was thinking when I decided I would start working (almost full time hours) while simultaneously starting what everyone before me had described as the most difficult semester of nursing school.  Less than a month to go, and last week was the first time I really felt like just giving up on something.  It was a paper, it was hell.

It's really my own fault, I'm such a procrastinator.  It was due Thursday morning at 8 am.  I was at clinical for 10 hours on Tuesday, then I worked on it until 2 am and got 5 hrs sleep before going to work for 10 hrs on Wednesday.  I didn't get much paper writing done at work, so I really got down to business that night.  Terry stayed up with me and cheered me on.  I put on my old faithful study movie, the 10th Kingdom to keep me awake and provide background noise.  Around 1:30 am, I asked Terry to proof read and ensure that my writing was still coherent.  I fell asleep, for 30 minutes, then Terry had to shout at me until I awoke.  There was coffee, there was ice cream, there were a few tears.  Then I put on my favorite study movie (Pride and Prejudice) and wrote until 6 when I showered and left for school, without a finished product.  I met up with my carpool and worked on my paper all the way to Jacksonville.  I still didn't finish.  I felt like a failure, I've never not finished on time.  THEN I took the quiz that was also scheduled for that day (that was just mean scheduling) and made a 67%...a D.  I hadn't slept, I didn't pass my test, and I was going to loose 5 points right off the top of my paper because I didn't get it finished...and they wanted me to sit and listen and take notes on a 4 hour lecture.

....I couldn't do it.  I kept nodding off in class.  At break, I got coffee and swedish fish (diet be damned) and devoted my time to pinterest rather than lecture.  I finally finished the paper Thursday night around 10:30 (after I went to work for 5 hours) and fell into bed, exhausted and so grateful and happy to be there.  I slept like a rock and woke up feeling fresh and ready to make a yummy breakfast to thank Terry for putting up with my crazy.

Pinterest to the rescue!  I a recipe for cinnamon roll pancakes....um, yes please.  And, bonus, I had some cream cheese icing in the fridge that needed to be eaten.  They were simple to make and consumed to quickly for any pictures to be taken.  They looked just like making memories' did:

They were wonderful and you should make them, and enjoy them.  So good.  I have also tried:

Oreo cheesecake cups.  I've made them twice now, simple and delicious.  No complaints here!

Roasted Smashed Potatoes.  I love potatoes in all forms, but this is like crunchy mashed potatoes, it is wonderful and yummy.  Plus, once I boiled them and smashed them, I could bake only what I was going to use that night and save the rest for another night.  I had them 3 times that week from the one batch.  Delicious, everytime.

Cracker Barrel chicken knock-off.  This was ok.  It was simple and tasted decent the first night, but it was dried out and not very good as left-overs.  Probably won't do this again.

Frozen banana bites.  These are good.  Not fantastic, but good.  I think that next time, I will use less peanut butter in the coating.

Pizza bites.  Easy and so good.  I used string cheese and just cut it up into 5 or 6 pieces to make "cubes".  I also used pillsbury pizza dough, next time I'll use publix pizza dough.  I will certainly make them again!

Ok, there is more, but I will save some for next week, in case I don't get any done this week.  It's been fun, let's do this again soon!

It's been a while...

Oh my, it has been way to long!!  My 3rd semester of nursing school started in August, and between school and work, I haven't had much time for sewing :( I've done a few projects, and I'll share soon, but my current project is organization.  My fabric stash is out of control!  I came across this DIY fabric organizer tutorial on pinterest the other day, and I had to try it.

Mini bolts of fabric :)

I have put in another evening's worth of tv watching making fabric organizers and now have two piles this size.  I'm using acid-free comic book boards which I found on ebay and amazon.  I purchased 100 of them, but I'm using 2 per organizer, so I'll need more soon.  I think I'll go garage sale-ing and see if I can find an inexpensive book self to store them on this weekend, I can't wait to have all my fabric in nice neat rows!!!

Now it's time for me to get back to learning about kidney disease so I can watch Grey's tonight without too much guilt ;)

In progress.

52 1/8 yard pieces of fabric.

I have been wanting to make the color wheel quilt from the book Last-Minute Patchwork + Quilted Gifts (which is on sale at Amazon right now for $10.50 btw, A-MAZING).  It's getting close to finished, but I've had to stop and work on this book instead.  I hate you GRE.  I will defeat you Monday...I hope.  Back to re-learning algebra now...

Pink and blue

Remember these fabric piles?

Well they have become baby blankets over the last few weeks.  Here is some eye candy:

Strips waiting to be cut on my new ironing board, LOVE!

All pinned.

And finished!

Terry hand embroidered the label for me, thanks T!

All lined up and ready sew :)

Dakota helped me pin it.  Thanks, Dakota.

Pinned nice and neat, ready for quilting!

I'm not sure how to flip my photo on here :(  But again, hand embroidered by Terry :)

Not a great picture, but it's the best I had of the completed quilt as I didn't finish the binding until we drove into the driveway for the baby shower, and the label didn't get put on until after the mommy-to-be opened the gift.  Oh well, she loved it anyways!  You ever work down to the very last minute (and sometimes beyond)???

I love making something as a gift, it just means so much more.  I always feel extra loved when I get a homemade gift.  I hope you treasure your homemade gifts as much as I do.  

PS.  This post was written about a week ago, I was just waiting on a picture.  I decided that I shouldn't wait any longer or I would never get around to posting it.  I'll try to post more frequently, there are a few other projects I'm working on and ready to show you!

Oh how I love the long arm.

So I re-learned how to use a long arm and I think I like it even better now than I did the first time around.  Such a fast and fun way to quilt.  You must understand, the quilting is always my least favorite part.  It can make or break a quilt and I always agonize over how to finish the quilts that I have put so much time into.  I don't think I'll dread the process any longer, the machine that I used at the Sew and Quilt Shop in Bunnell, FL was wonderfully easy and fun.  Plus reasonably priced and the women that work there are so friendly, can't beat it!  Anyways, here is what I accomplished:

Ta-da!  I give you the couch quilt.

The strip was supposed to end up slightly less central, but oh well, I'm happy with the overall appearance :)

So very impressed with myself...I know that there are errors, but this is a first attempt people!

The color is bad, but check out those quilting lines!!!

It is now being happily used on my couch while it awaits a label.

Farmer's Wife quilt-a-long

I have been wanting to join the Farmer's Wife quilt-a-long that has taking the sewing blogging world by storm since week one.  I finally got around to it last Friday...it was a semi-success.  I decided to build them in the order they are listed in the back of the book.  My square came out to be ~6.25 inches square, and then I cut it down to 6 inches square (because the book said they were 6 inch finished squares).  After I finished the 2nd block, I realized that I couldn't cut it down and I shouldn't have cut down the first one...oops.  So I have one that is way too small, and another that is slightly too small.  Hopefully it will get better as I go!

Have to redo this one...

I really like the fussy cutting on this one, so even though it is slightly smaller than it should be, I'm keeping it.

I've also been working on my chain linked quilt.  It only took 4 hours to learn how to use the long arm machine and quilt my quilt.  I'm still working on the binding, slowly but surely!!!

Dakota is helping as usual :)

I'm also getting ready to start working on 2 baby quilts, right now they are both a pile of fabric full of potential:

Girly Quilt

Pure Boy

Time to iron all that fabric and start cutting!!!  I love having a project.

A fun week

We had a blast on the cruise!!  I didn't get much sewing done, but I did manage a few small stitches on one afternoon:

Making hexies while sunbathing and listening to a book on tape.

I love these people!!!

Tomorrow I am headed to one of the local quilt shops to learn (once again) how to use a long arm sewing machine, should be fun!!

Going to the Bahamas

In just 2 days, I will be on a cruise ship headed to the Bahamas!!!  So excited, especially about the food.  I love food, can't help it, and I love being able to order as many dishes as I want.  I'm a little indecisive, so I like that I can try a little of whatever strikes my fancy.  But it is important to note that I don't like to waste food, so my tummy better be ready to digest!  I am going to bring my hand sewing along with me incase I get a chance to relax on deck with a needle and thread, hopefully some progress will be made :)

In other news, I just finished a quilt top:

It's a pattern called "Chain Linked" by Amy Smart and the pattern can be purchased here.

Doesn't it look pretty up against my window?

When I get back from my cruise, I will be headed to the local quilt shop and learning to use a long-arm machine.  I've used them before and enjoyed how quickly a quilt can be quilted, can't wait to learn a new machine and get back to long-arm quilting!  Looking forward to cruising and then getting home to quilt, what an exciting week I have ahead of me!  Hope yours is good too :)

A crazy month

This month has been a crazy and fun one!  I am a nursing student, and I have the summer off this year, YAY!!!  Since summer started, I've ben camping twice, watched my little sister graduate from college, and watched one of my very best friends marry the love of her life.  So there has been a lot of traveling involved.  Back in January, I decided that I needed a hand sewing project to do in the car and on trips.  I decided on an English-paper piecing hexagon quilt after reading a blog called texas freckles.  She is having a piece-along, and I couldn't resist.  They had so many ideas and beautiful hexies, so I picked up some jelly rolls I had lying around, started cutting....and became obsessed!!!

 This is my original fabric (whatever I had lying around the house!)

At some point, I realized that I needed a plan, so here it is: all the yellows will be the same, each set of green/blue will be different, the whites will be white and the orange will be composed of the left over colored hexies in a random pattern :)

This is the last picture that I have of the "finished hexies" back when I had only 425 done, all my ducks in a row!

Since then, I have finished all of my colored hexagons and most of my white hexies.  I have also begun to whipstitch the flowers together...I only have 3 and half done, they are taking a lot longer than I thought they would!!!  Here they are:

I LOVE them!!!

So while I have been working on these gems, I was also doing all of those other important/exciting things I mentioned earlier.  Forgive me, but I must brag on my little sis for a moment:  Gabrielle graduated from Elon University with honors and a double major as a magna cum laude.  She has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship, and will be headed to Taiwan for a year in August.  I'm so proud of/happy for her!

I'm a proud Elon sister :)

I'm going to be making her a "graduation quilt" as her present, but I wanted her to be able to help me choose what she wants, so no plans yet.  She is on a graduation cruise right now, but when she gets back, there will be LOTS of sister time and planning.  There is so much more to share, but I think this post is long enough already.  So until another day, tata!

Binding...

Today I have been working on binding a quilt.  I love hand stitching the binding on the back.  I guess I like it because it's (usually) the only part of the quilt that I sew by hand and it feels more personal somehow.  And I love making so that the stitches are invisible.  And nicely mitered corners make me smile every time. Just look:

Machine sewn on the front...

...and hand stitched on the back :)

This is a quilt I am making for some very good friends of mine who are getting married at the end of the month.  Size wise, it's somewhere between queen and a king.  It should be done in a few days and I am so excited to give it to them.  Not that I think that they will be checking out my blog, but I won't be posting pictures until after I give it to them.  Back to binding, tata for now!

Here we go!

Hello blogging world :)  I read a lot of sewing and quilting blogs and I have decided to start one myself.  I started quilting in November of 2009, and I am now totally addicted!  I started quilting because I couldn't find a bedspread that I liked.  I ventured to Joann Fabrics and bought WAY too little fabric, looked up a log cabin tutorial online and started cutting (by hand, with scissors...) the pieces I thought I would need to make a queen sized quilt.  There were many bumps and mishaps along the way, but I learn best by doing, and I learned so very much in this first attempt.  It took me around 8 months to finish the quilt that got me started, and I love snuggling up underneath it each night.

The finished product, so proud :)

The colors are a little distorted, the lighting is better here:

Always makes me smile :)

While I was working on that quilt, I completed  a few other projects.  I'll post pictures of my other early attempts soon.  I like blogs with lots of pictures and few words, I'll try to be one of those!  Ready to get to know me a little?  Well ready or not, blogging world, here I come!