Project interrupted

Have you ever gotten an idea for a quilt or any other crafty project and gotten real excited to start, only to realize you don't have everything you need to do said project?  A couple of years ago I was thinking about starting a small (as in baby size) quilt business.  As part of my thought process, I designed and stitched 4 different quilt tops.  I only used fabric I had on hand and I jotted down ideas for several more.  That was as far as I got.  I decided I wasn't ready or willing to make my hobby into my business, so I put them all away.

So now I was looking for some small quilt or quilts to donate to the Prouty, which is my brother's cancer fund raiser up in Vermont.  Enter again these small quilt tops.  I decided to finish at least one of them and see if they would work.  Okay...need batting and backing.  It's small, shouldn't take much, right?  Hmmm..got lots of 1 yard pieces, but that was too short.  So...sew!

Now it's big enough!  Now the batting.  I never seem to keep batting on hand, as I guess it's a buy as needed thing.  I'd like to know if others keep bats around for just in case they need one today?
So again...sew strips together.

Well, this seems to be working out so far.  Now to start the quilting process.  Round and round and round we go.

So I guess this can be counted as one of my more successful afternoons.  So many times I can't make things work out so well and I just give up and start something else, or go read or watch TV.  While I'm on a roll, I think I'll start putting those potholders together!
Happy sewing!

Just Breathe...

This is the image I am going to focus on....breathing slowly...relaxing.
The reality is I have so many projects I don't know where to start.  Sewing, painting or yard work. I started the painting project last week.

one coat of primer

Yesterday I finished the first coat of primer after sanding and then I thought, okay, I'll go sew for awhile now.  I walked into my sewing room and looked around.  Where to start?

See? Projects everywhere!

I'll start with the backing to my quilt, I thought.  But after twenty minutes of math and looking at the fabrics I have on hand, I decided I didn't have what I wanted or the patience to try and make something I did have work for this. So I put it aside.

Maybe I will start the pot holders for my brother's fund raiser.  I have several pair cut out waiting to be stitched and bound.  No, don't really feel like it.  How about quilting the baby quilt for the fund raiser? Nope.  Need to find enough of the right colors for the backing.  So I sat there and looked around.  Maybe a list will help....Just breathe.  I will get started soon.  I promise.

Can't decide

I was trying to decide what to talk about today on here.  While I started the laundry and changed the sheets on the bed, I though about it.  Nothing came to me.  So I had some yogurt and a banana and sat down to watch an episode of Oprah in the DVR.  That was my undoing.  My youngest daughter dropped by, then I got a migraine, which I was finally able to get under control, but by then, the day was too far gone.  I had no real motivation to do anything.  So I watched some more shows in the DVR.  So besides the laundry, which I kept the loads going, all I did was to clear out the DVR.  Must be Monday.

Last week I did get some curtains made for my oldest daughter's new house.

master bedroom

grandson's room

isn't this cute fabric?

looks good next to that tumbling blocks quilt (also by me)

simplicity

...and the kitchen.

Here's hoping for a more productive week ahead.

Back to Monday already

Boy the weekends sure go by fast!  I always try to cram too much in, but there are just too many things I want to do each weekend.  There's sewing, of course and crocheting and baking and cooking and crafting with my grandson this weekend.  And now as I am writing this the dishwasher finally run after the big mother's day dinner and laundry is spinning around so the must do things are also getting done.  I let myself do the fun stuff for every must do I accomplish.  Here are some of the fun things: remember the pillow above?  It was from the Moda Bake Shop.  I hate doing zippers so I did an overlapping back.  Because of the width of the pillow, it tended to gap.  My solution....buttons!

I had to learn how to do buttonholes on my Bernina.  I had never used that feature since I got this new machine.  Think I've got it now.

 Then time out to try out this little pattern.  It is from Little Red Hen I didn't know she did crochet too!  I had to rip out 7 times to figure it out, but the first one is done and I love it!!  I am still a novice in pattern reading I guess. 

I started piecing the back to my Sunkissed Squares quilt finally.  I can't wait to get this one done and start quilting it with the cotton floss!  And while all this was going on, V was working on some projects of his own for mother's day and just because he loves crafting like his momma and I.

craft sticks and glue

some great pictures...he's very prolific.

And that was our weekend.  One more thing; I am contemplating this fabric and trying to decide what it should become.  At first I thought curtains, but now I'm not so sure.  Any ideas?

I just love this!  Have a great week!

A Productive Weekend

Well I must say I'm pretty happy with the way my weekend went.  I did some babysitting Friday and Saturday nights and my husband and I helped our daughter with some house projects Sunday morning, but after that.....it was sew, sew, sew.  I knew I was out of time to finish the April Birdie Stitches block.  But I got it done.

Then, I worked on finishing the front of my second Cathedral Windows pillow taken from the Moda Bake Shop tutorial.  I had thought about blues and greens for some contrast with the first one, but after looking at it, I decided to go with something from my stash that I loved Cloe's Imagination.  I paired it with some Moda Sunkissed and I loved the way it came out.

my first hat

V models the hat.  He loves that it's reversible.

bucket brigade

Then it was on to my bucket hat project.  I bought a copy of Liesl Gibson's Little Things to Sew.   What a great book with lots of projects I want to make for my grandsons.  So I started by making a bucket hat for V.  I then made another one for J in a smaller size.  When I posted the first one on Facebook, I got several enthusiastic comments from family and friends with little ones.  So I made one for my great niece and one for a friend's little boy.  She had been looking for one and couldn't find one.  I was so pleased at the way these turned out.  I cannot wait to try some of the other fun patterns in the book.  Liesl really knows how to come up with wonderful things that kids can use that are fun to make.

Don't know how I can top all this, but I still have lots of projects to do, so here I go again.