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Friday, December 6, 2013

Holiday Frost: Finished!

Just after I started my blogging "break", I finished Holiday Frost!

Holiday Frost

This is made from a free quilt pattern for Henry Glass and panel yardage for the center motifs.  It was a pretty easy quilt to put together, once everything was cut. 

Holiday Frost

I made this quilt for my mum and she decided to send it off to a quilter, because she really wanted snowflakes.  I think that the quilting turned out great!  

Holiday Frost

I picked up the quilt from the quilter and bound it for my mum.  It was a nice activity to do on cold nights by the fire!

Holiday Frost

All the fabric is Holiday Frost by Jan Shade Beach for Henry Glass.  I'm glad I checked this quilt off before the holidays!

Currently Listening to: Put the Lights on the Tree by Sufjan Stevens

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Recents >>

I totally fell off of the blogging truck.  After finishing the Fireworks quilt and a couple of other things, I took a bit of a sewing (and blogging, apparently) break, but I think I'm ready to hop back on the truck!  The last couple weeks of November were pretty low key.  I quilted a quilt for a friend and spent the rest of the time trying to keep motivated.  I made the transition into the third trimester on Monday and I've been having a hard time finding energy to do things.

28 Weeks

The weather certainly hasn't been helping me feel like getting off the couch... Temperatures plummeted this week and there's not a day above freezing in the forecast.  It only snowed once, but we're not expecting it to go anywhere with temperatures in the teens.

December snow

Although I have admittedly been on the couch a lot, I did start a cross stitch project for a Christmas gift.  I've been working pretty steadily on it and I'm hoping to finish it up this week.

Elephant Cross Stitch

I bought the pattern from Seemingly Stitched, but to be honest, I don't fully recommend it.  There's 29 colors in the pattern and I think it's more complex than it needs to be.  Sure, it looks cool when it's stitched, but it is quite a headache to get there... If you attempt it, I wouldn't set a harsh deadline, like Christmas, for yourself!

In other exciting news, we went to Jake's parent's house for Thanksgiving and we got to pick out a blanket for baby girl that was made by Jake's late grandmother Johnson!  She made a bunch of baby girl blankets, but Jake only has one sister and only nephews, so there were a lot to choose from.  We came home with this gorgeous blanket and I'm thrilled to have it!

Baby Girl's blanket from grandma

Jake also put together this bike for baby girl!  He purchased it in Germany while he was there for his mission 8 years ago and shipped it home.  It was sitting in its box all these years and he was thrilled to assemble it, even though she won't be able to ride it for quite some time!

Baby Girl's German bike

Well, that's all that's been happening recently.  I hope to be more exciting in the coming weeks!  I finally have plans to sew on Monday!

More recents>>
loving > the tiny mandarine oranges!
counting down to > having both my siblings in town!
craving > homemade won tons
wishing > I had more energy!
planning > baby girl's quilt... finally!
current temperature > 21°

Currently Listening to: Sister Winter by Sufjan Stevens

Friday, November 15, 2013

Fireworks Quilt: Finished!

This quilt has been a long time coming...  I started this Fireworks quilt back in February and it took me until now to get it finished... Although I have some fair excuses, that's still a long time!  Nevertheless, it is done now and I can relax about it!

Fireworks Quilt

The quilt top is made up entirely of Constellations by Lizzy House.  I am totally in love with this fabric and I love that she made a print of stars on white so that I could use it as the background.

Fireworks Quilt

This is a Thimble Blossoms pattern by Camille Roskelly (link above) and it was written really well!  The "fireworks" came together easily after I made the first block and got the hang of it.  It did, however, take me 6 hours to sew together two blocks, since I made them two at a time.  This is not a fast quilt, but I would say it is rewarding.

Fireworks Quilt

For the back I used more Constellations and Timeless Treasure's sketch in navy.  I wanted to stick with dark fabric for the back because I want to use this as a stargazing quilt (once the weather warms up again!)

Fireworks Quilt

I quilted it in concentric circles and I absolutely LOVE it.  I first fell in love with concentric circles when I quilted my Dad's Body and Sole quilt last year.  I knew then that I just had to have my own quilt with those circles someday.  When I was stumped on how to quilt this quilt, I thought, why not?  I used a variegated thread so it shifts from dark blue to light blue to white and I love that!

Fireworks Quilt

Here's number two for my 99 in 999 goal number #33: Make a quilt for each month of the year!  This one is going to be June.  Or May.  I haven't quite decided!

Currently Listening to:  Jupiter Winter by Sufjan Stevens

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Christmas Sewing Continued

I have been making another quilted tote similar to this one I made earlier this year, using the same tutorial, loosely.

Quilted Tote 2

I've been using all scraps for the front of the bag, including an abandoned Pow Wow quilt block. It feels really nice to use up that block that has been hanging around for forever!  The front is now all quilted and I just need to quilt the back and assemble it!  Hopefully I can get that done soon...!

Currently Listening to:  Sister Winter by Sufjan Stevens

Monday, November 11, 2013

Recents >>

Happy Monday, Friends!

With the exception of the Holiday Frost quilt, I have really been trying to finish up things that I've started this year.  I'm hoping the Fireworks quilt will finally be finished this week and my next work in progress priority is the Pow Wow quilt.  I have purchased the thread to quilt it, but the backing that I had been planning on using isn't big enough and I'm not sure what to use...

Pow Wow Quilt Top

I also started this damask giraffe in May and I just finished it.  I still need to give it a little soak to get the kinks out and frame it, but I'm checking it off my list anyway!  I really love the way this turned out and I wanted to start a new cross stitch project immediately after the last stitch!

Giraffe Cross Stitch

I have also made some good progress on our Christmas decorations...!  The tree is up, decorated, and we enjoy it every night.  I still want to put garland on our railings and wreaths on our mannequins, but I'm glad I still have plenty of time to get to it!

Christmas Tree 2013

Last, but not least, Jake has made some killer progress on the nursery this week.  Poor guy has been working on it every night!  The walls are painted, but still need to be touched up from where the paint leaked under the tape, and the crib is assembled!

Baby Girl's Crib

More recents >>
loving > the way the nursery is coming together!
sewing > another Christmas gift!
deciding > what fabric to use for crib sheets!
savoring > the last of the fall weather
craving > Starbucks salted caramel hot chocolates!
current temperature > 61°

Currently Listening to: Hey Guys! It's Christmas Time by Sufjan Stevens

Friday, November 8, 2013

Holiday Frost Finished Quilt Top

This Holiday Frost quilt top is all sewn together and it's already at the quilter!

Holiday Frost Quilt Top

The top came together pretty quickly, once I sat down and dedicated some time to it.  The panel squares were a bit annoying to cut out, since I had to try to center the motif within each square, but that was really the only thing that gave me trouble.

Holiday Frost Quilt Top

The best part is that my mom is thrilled with the way it looks!  She is getting snowflakes quilted on, and I can't wait to get it back from the quilter!

Holiday Frost Quilt Top

Yay for a Christmas quilt!

Currently Listening to: Amazing Grace by Sufjan Stevens

Thursday, November 7, 2013

Christmas Sewing... Already!

I have already started on my Christmas sewing!  I'm not making too many handmade gifts this year, but I did want to sew up a few small things.  That includes these tiny bags!

Tiny Drawstring Bags

I used Jeni's beloved drawstring bag pattern (in the tiny size!) and the bags turn out perfect every time!  They are super easy to sew together, and they feel so rewarding!  I must admit, only two of these are gifts... the one on the left is for me!

Tiny Drawstring Bags

I only used scraps to make all three bags and that always feels like an accomplishment!  These bags turned out super cute and I know their recipients are going to just love them!

Tiny Drawstring Bags

The countdown to Christmas has begun!

Currently listening to: O Come O Come Emmanuel by Sufjan Stevens

Friday, November 1, 2013

Halloween Pillow: Finished!

First things first: HAPPY NOVEMBER!!

Second: I'm putting up my Christmas tree this weekend.

Third: I finished this Halloween pillow just barely in time for Halloween!

EPP Halloween Pillow

I started this pillow at Sewing Summit in September in Kaye Prince's class.  The pillow top is English paper pieced using Kaye's Doughnut Kiss pattern.  Once I got the hang of EPP, the pillow top came together well and fairly quickly.  I am so, so glad I took her class because I super love this pillow and I super love the technique!

EPP Halloween Pillow

I used scraps from my Halloween Plus Quilt and some scraps from my scrap bins.  I used Moda Black for the background and pillow back.

EPP Halloween Pillow

I'm excited to have this done and also to have another Halloween decoration!  But I must say, I am even more excited to put away my Halloween things and start decorating for Christmas!!

Currently Listening to:  Twelve Days of Christmas by John Denver

Thursday, October 31, 2013

Recents >>

Happy Halloween!! Here's a new batch of what's been happening over here!

Ever since I learned English Paper Piecing, I have been wanting to make some hexagons.  After I purchased the 1" hexagon punch (on sale!), I didn't waste any time in punching out some templates and basting some hexagons out of a little pack of Kona solids!  I'm not sure on the layout or even what I'm going to do with them, but they are sure cute!!

EPP Hexagons

While my sis has been in town, I wanted to take the opportunity to teach her how to sew a bit.  She claimed that she had never touched a sewing machine, so I wanted to change that.  She also wanted some pouches for pens and stickers.  We started with Anna's Open Wide Zippered Pouch and I think she did a great job!  Then we started on another little pouch for her stickers.  I adapted a pattern from something else to meet the specifications my sister had for her stickers.  I think she did a great job on both little pouches!

Adarsh and her bags

After finishing up her bags, we decided to do a bit of thrifting!  I picked up all of these adorable embroidery hoops and this irresistible tin!  I plan on hanging the pink hoops in baby girl's room and using the tin for my English paper piecing things!

Thrifting Finds

We had a bit of an impromptu dinner party on Sunday and while my sister was making dinner, I knew I needed to make something easy for dessert... Enter: Pinterest.  I found this recipe I pinned on one of my boards for an Oreo icebox cake.  It was incredibly easy and way more delicious than I anticipated.  It was also way more rich than I thought it would be, too!

Oreo Icebox Cake

One of the very best things about this time of the year is the imminent arrival of the Starbucks holiday red cups.  To my sister and I, this signals the beginning of the holidays.  We were hoping that she would still be in town when the red cups were released so that we could enjoy our first cups together, but we didn't know when they'd come out!  So, I googled it just for fun and found the Countdown to Red Cups website.  Amazing!  We're so glad that we're not the only ones that look forward to this time of year!!

We have also purchased the paint and the crib for baby girl's room!! We're not setting the crib up until the room is all painted, but we had to open the box to see how adorable it was!

Baby Girl's Crib

Also, baby girl is now 23 weeks along and when we had an ultrasound on Monday, they said that she weighs 1 lb. 3 oz!  She's getting big! (and so am I!)

23 Weeks!

More Recents >>
sewing > Holiday Frost!
loving > my new thrifted items!
excited about > the crib!
writing > endless lists
craving > Starbucks!
eating > Halloween candy!
current temperature > 49°

Currently Listening to: Do You Hear What I Hear? by Sufjan Stevens

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

WIP Wednesday

It's been a long time since I've done a WIP Wednesday post!  I thought that since I've been working on the Holiday Frost quilt, I should snap a photo or two of where I'm at.

Holiday Frost in Progress

This quilt is made up mostly of borders, with some sashing between the panel pieces.  So I decided to piece together all the pieces to the borders before laying out the quilt top and all that.  Obviously, I haven't yet pressed any of the borders or sashing, but it is all sewn together!

Holiday Frost in Progress

I'm hoping it won't take me too long to find time to press all those seams and sew the quilt top together!

Currently Listening to: Angels We Have Heard on High by Sufjan Stevens

Tuesday, October 29, 2013

Fall Favorites: Hot Cocoa

I promised a few weeks ago that I would share my favorite hot cocoa recipe... so here it is!

This cocoa is so ridiculously easy and so exponentially better than anything that comes in a packet or a canister that it seems so silly to bother with anything else.  It is also very customizable.  Prefer a real dark chocolate cocoa?  Add less sugar.  Fancy a lip smackingly sweet drink?  Cut back on the cocoa powder.  Easy!

First, ingredients:

  • 2 Tbsp. Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 c. milk
  • 1/4 tsp. vanilla
  • dash of salt
Favorite Hot Cocoa

First, pour your milk into your mug and microwave for 1 1/2 - 2 minutes, depending on how hot you want your cocoa.

While that is heating, mix together the cocoa powder, sugar, and dash of salt in a little bowl.

Favorite Hot Cocoa

Once your milk is heated and your mix is well mixed, pour it in your mug and stir!

Favorite Hot Cocoa

When that is well mixed, add the vanilla and stir.

Favorite Hot Cocoa

Ta-da! You now have a super amazing mug of hot cocoa!

Favorite Hot Cocoa

Currently Listening to: Silent Night by Sufjan Stevens

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Halloween Plus Quilt: Finished!

This quilt is finished, just in time for Halloween!  I am so THRILLED to finally have a holiday quilt for myself!  It is so exciting to me that I don't have to rush to wash and pack it up for a new owner!  How exciting!

Halloween Plus Quilt

I am loving the way that this quilt turned out.  The pattern is from Jeni Baker's Modern Plus Quilt Tutorial.  After all the cutting was done and the layout was finalized, it was a quick quilt to sew together.  It was kind of an instant gratification sort of thing.

Halloween Plus Quilt

The fabric for the top of the quilt is all Boo Crew by Sweetwater.  I really like this line because it's not so in-your-face with Halloween colors, but it still gets the message and mood of Halloween across.

Halloween Plus Quilt

I pieced the back.  That was new for me.  I spent a whole day just putting this back together and making sure it was big enough for quilting.  I can't say that I über enjoyed the process of piecing the back, but I can say that I love the results.  So, I'll probably do it again!  The back consists of leftover squares from the top, Moda black, Kona Iron, and a bit of Pure Elements Cabernet.  I basically used what I had and it did feel like quite an accomplishment at the end of the day!

Halloween Plus Quilt

I also did something else new for me - I machine bound this quilt.  I'm one of those people that really loves to sit on the couch and bind, so I never really had a desire to machine bind, but with Halloween being less than a week away, I decided that I could at least give it a try!  I'm not super thrilled with the result, so I'm not going to link to the tutorial that I used, but I think I'll leave it.  I'll try it again with a different tutorial in the future.

Halloween Plus Quilt

All in all, I'm happy with the finished quilt!  It also fulfills a twelfth of my 99 in 999 goal #33: Make a quilt for each month of the year!!  I can now check off October!

Currently Listening to: The Peace Carol by John Denver (yes, yes... Christmas music!)

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Holiday Frost: The Beginning

I decided, just this morning, that I have been super good at working on my WIPs.  The Halloween Plus quilt just needs binding and I'm almost halfway through binding my Fireworks Quilt - I have been diligent!  So, as a reward I am cutting up some fabric today to start a new quilt!

I'm going to bust out the Muppet's Christmas Carols with John Denver and start on Holiday Frost!  This is a free pattern from Henry Glass, which includes two quilts.  I am making the one with the stars.

Holiday Frost Quilt

This quilt will be easier than it looks because it requires a printed panel and that actually makes up most of it.  There's a bit of piecing with the stars, but it should all come together pretty quickly... which is the reason I agreed to make this quilt for my mum!  It seems as though I am always sewing something for her!  Ah well, I love her... and she is always generous with me...

Holiday Frost Quilt

Anyways!  She purchased all of the fabric to make this pretty thing, so all I need to do is get to work!

Currently Listening to: Numb by The Airborne Toxic Event

Monday, October 21, 2013

Recents >>

One of my biggest goals currently is to organize and fix up the whole basement, which includes my sewing/crafting space and the laundry room.  It's been a big job because when we first moved into this house last November we stacked all our miscellaneous boxes in the basement and we only went down there to do laundry.  I think it's for the best that we get this cleaned up and organized before we've been in this house for a year!

Basement Progress

I have been supremely enjoying stitching the October Woodland Sampler this month.  I am starting to get antsy for the announcement and presale for the 2014 sampler!!  I've read on Amanda's blog that the next sampler is going to be incredible!

October Woodland Sampler

My adventures have, of course, taken me to my LQS.  I am pleased about the modest amount of fabric I brought home...

Oh So Jolly and Dear Stella

I have been really focusing on my Halloween Plus quilt this week.  Halloween is just around the corner and I would really love to have this quilt finished before then!  I'm hoping to finish quilting today!

Halloween Plus Quilt

Also, my sister is in town!  We have been having a ton of fun shopping and annoying our mum.  I even plan on teaching her how to sew!

more recents >>
craving > Totino's Party Pizza (if you've never tried this über cheap pizza, it really is worth it!)
feeling > baby girl kick and roll around all the time!
wishing > I was going to quilt market!
loving > my basement sewing space
enjoying > hot cocoa!
current temperature > 46°

Currently Listening to: Buzzcut Season by Lorde