Monday, January 25, 2010

Design Wall Monday


I don't have anything new up on the design wall/floor but I did finish one of the two baby quilts. I wanted to have it done before a meeting we had which would be the last the mom-to-be would be a part of before she was due. The meeting was to start at 1 and I finished the last stitch in the binding at 12:55. Nothing like cutting it close! Fortunately, the meeting was at my house so I didn't have to factor in travel time. Unfortunately, the meeting was at my house and I didn't get much of a chance to clean up. Oh, well! All of the attendees were moms or kids. The kids didn't notice-they just wanted to be with their friends. And the moms understood, especially when I told them that H. had decided that 2 a.m. was daytime and couldn't be convinced otherwise until 5:30, then R. was at my bedside before 8:30 ready for breakfast.

The second baby quilt will be the black and white log cabin but it will have to wait a bit. The trip to the water park is in less than 2 weeks and I still have to make the girls' swimsuits, so those take top priority for what little sewing time I have. I can always hand quilt the log cabin on the trip.

If you want to check out more design walls, stop by Judy's blog.

Monday, January 18, 2010

Design Wall Monday time again

I know I missed last weeks Design Wall Monday but it wasn't because I was slacking. I've been busy here, I just didn't have time to post. As it is this post isn't going up until nearly 8 p.m.

S. turned the big 1 0 this week so a good chunk of Friday was spent baking and decorating the cake then taking all of the kids and one close family of friends to Chuck E. Cheese for most of the afternoon. I love homeschooling. We had most of the place to ourselves since we got there around 2 while all the public school kids were locked up counting down the minutes until their weekend furlough.

My mom had a major house fire that left her house uninhabitable. Fortunately, she wasn't home at the time but she did lose one of her dogs to the fire and one other suffered serious smoke inhalation. The fire didn't make it to her bedroom or office but smoke and water damage took their toll on the contents of both rooms. She lost a lot but has insurance to cover the contents and rebuilding. My aunt has been kicking fanny taking care of things for my mom. She and a friend have cleaned out whatever could be saved, took care of the dogs, buried the one that was lost, took copious pictures for the insurance company and got a contractor friend to come up with a plan for rebuilding, all while my mom was out of town.



In the last week, I've gotten one baby quilt top almost done-"Bubblegum Baby." I just need to put on the last border then it's ready for sandwiching. I was hoping to only have to replace the skirt and pants on S.'s swimsuit but the original material is too faded for the new pieces to look right so I have to make a whole new suit. I've got the skirt and pants cut out so I have to do the rest. Z. will also need a new suit so I got the fabric for that today at JoAnn's.

I got the fabric for the back of Tooty Fruity but that quilt is on hold until I finish the baby quilts and swimsuits. (That's the fabric I got busted on in the last post. But I'm really impressed with how quickly it arrived. They called me in the morning and it was on my doorstep the next day. Go Z & S Fabric!)

Finally, I can't decide which log cabin color combination to use for the second baby quilt-pink and white or black and white. Any suggestions?


If you haven't already, check out the other Design Wall Monday posts on Judy's site.

Thursday, January 07, 2010

I'm excited


Next month, we're heading to Ohio to a homeschooling convention at an indoor water park/resort. The main presenter is John Taylor Gatto-a former New York City Teacher of the Year and homeschool advocate. I can't wait to hear his presentation.

I actually made the mistake of telling the kids the night before last and that's all I've heard from the 4 oldest ones since. (H. is still to little to have a clue about what's in store.) I had good intentions for it. There will be a "Kids Marketplace" where the kids can buy and sell stuff they've made (or toys they no longer want) and I wanted to give my kids time to make stuff if they so desired.

Speaking of making stuff, I now get to add a swimsuit for S. to the list since she managed to put holes in her's the last time she wore it. So, I have one quilt that HAS to be finished by Jan. 20 (progress- fabrics and pattern selected), one swimsuit that HAS to be finished by Feb. 4 and one quilt that needs to be finished in early Feb. Besides all the regular day to day stuff I normally do. The next four weeks are going to be CRAZY!

This is an icicle that formed outside my kitchen window after the last snow started to melt, although we still have some of it sticking around. The icicle is more than 20 inches.

Monday, January 04, 2010

Design Wall Monday


First off, Happy New Year! I kept meaning to post but have been busy spending time with friends. We got two dinner invites back to back, which is funny since it's been months since we've gone to anyone's house. It worked well for me since I didn't have to cook either night. I took a "me" day on Saturday, which was more than a little crazy - wind chills were in the single digits. BRRRRR!

Shh! Don't tell dh but I went fabric shopping on-line Wed. and at two Jo-Ann's on Sat. Actually, dh knows about 1 on-line fabric order because it arrived while I was out and M. just had to get the mail to look for a letter from his friend. Hey, I never said this was a stash busting year for me. ;) I needed pinks for the baby quilts and I wanted a variety of light and teal blues for the back of Rooty Tooty. Beyond fabric shopping, I haven't been very productive this week but that's going to have to change. I realized that I need one baby quilt done by the 20th because I won't see my friend again until after the baby is born. My other expectant friend may actually be due this month not next. EEK! Not sure how I'm going to get two baby quilts done this month.

Busted! I just got a phone call about my other fabric order and DH answered and heard that I made another order. Oh, well. So much for stealth! :P

The picture is of the pinks that I've bought for the baby quilts as well as a couple of charms I might use parts of. I'm thinking one all pink basket weave quilt and one black and white log cabin with pink centers.