Another Pinterest Inspired Project!

Lately, I have been addicted to making stuff out of things I already have and leftovers from other projects. I think it's a great way to clean out things I can before the New Year begins! With that in mind I made a pair of adorable little leggings for Aubree the other day after seeing these pants on Pinterest awhile back:

Source: makeit-loveit.com via Dori on Pinterest

While they follow pretty much the same "pattern" as most other tutorials to make baby pants/leggings, I liked the cute reverse applique, as it was one of those simple things that I probably never would have thought of on my own!

I have a TON of old t-shirts since my sister and I recently cleaned out our closets and anything that was stretched out or stained or not worthy of donation has made its way into my stash. One of those was a shirt my sister had probably held onto since middle school. I don't have any "before" pictures, and I am horrible at taking progress pictures. (I get in the zone and forget!) Here is my version before I put the waistband on:

And here is my chunky monkey trying them on for the first time:

I decided not to add any ruffles or "flair" to the bottom, as I think the print itself is busy enough. I just used the bottom of the t-shirt to be the bottom hem and it worked out wonderfully I think.

I apologize for the "deer in the headlights" look and the blurriness of the photo. Still need a digital camera, but my iPhone will have to do for now. Aubree is at that stage where I can't get her to sit still for a picture unless she can see herself on the screen-- and that usually results in funny faces anyway ;) The pants do seem to ride up a bit on the inseam, so next time I will have to remember to add a bit extra, but overall I am quite pleased as this was my first time attempting pants! (I did make a pair of boxer shorts for my mom in high school but that.... is another story!

Crocheting (like I need another hobby!!)

So a couple weeks ago, when school was at it's most burdensome (and my stress--not coincidentally-- high as well), I was experiencing my usual restless anxiety. That typically means that I haven't had any "me" time for expression. It is nearly impossible to sew or quilt with my little ones awake, and when they're asleep that's homework time. I decided I needed something I could do while they were awake, and so I dug out some yarn I had been hoarding to send to my knitter sister. I decided to reteach myself to crochet. I learned when I was a preteen, but never really learned how to do anything other than potholders!
With the help of an incredible youtube video database (by far the best crochet tutes I could find... Clear, explanatory, and slow), I first made a scarf for Aubree (No pictures). Then I decided I was going to try an easy throw. Well, I keep coming back to that one, and it isn't done, so no pictures there either. I then realized that since everyone makes crochet flowers, I bet some crochet snowflakes would look pretty amazing on my tree. On to Ravelry I went, and I regret that I don't remember exactly which patterns I used, but I did a couple then experimented and made a few on my own:
One day, while pinning on Pinterest, I came across this picture of a really cool basket made out of crocheted nylon rope:

via pinterest

I pinned it and decided I was going to make it someday. Well someday became today, and although I couple of times I backtracked and started over close to the beginning (I happen to be a bit of a perfectionist!), but here is my version:
I used cotton, and it is a bit thinner than her rope, I think, but I still love this basket! I think a basket like this, but with longer handles, would make a great "holder" for a hanging plant, don't you?

I-Spy Quilts

Over a year ago, I decided I wanted to make an I-Spy quilt for Cullen. Earlier this year, I participated in a swap for I-Spy quilt squares, which left me with 200 different squares! How awesome!
As I started sketching out ways to arrange them (with sashing or without? 9 patches based on background color?), I realized that I had enough to make TWO! So I began separating the definite boy squares and girl squares, then divided the gender neutral ones. Borders and appliqued names later, here are the finished quilt tops:
I have Aubree's quilted, straight lines on either side of the seams of the squares, but I still need to do the borders. I hope to get Cullen's basted and started on the quilting tonight. I somehow lost the FMQ foot for my machine, so I need to order another one, since I planned on doing FMQ on the borders. Unless any of you have other suggestions? I thought about just doing diagonal lines evenly spaced, but I don't really want to quilt THROUGH the names :-/

Still Alive!

I am definitely still here, and I am going to try to get back into blogging on a regular basis. I got extremely overwhelmed this summer and fall with school, the kids, work, and trying to keep up with the swaps I had signed up for before everything hit the fan! I also want to completely redo the look of the blog, but with my lack of know-how, time, and talent, it may be awhile.

I am still sewing and quilting, of course, with some great stuff to show coming soon, including I-Spy quilts for each of my kiddos.

And I can't believe how big they are getting! I came to the realization the other day that I no longer have babies anymore. Cullen is now 3, talking up a storm, counting to sixty by himself, and to ten in Chinese and Spanish, as well as many other words in Spanish. Aubree is walking, learning her body parts, and starting to talk. I want them to stay this size forever!

Stay tuned, though, I will have more coming!

Some more bee/swap blocks!

I didn't make it to the post office in time to mail these out today (I was SIX minutes late, can you believe that?!) but this first picture is of the two blocks I made for Glen in the 15 Minutes Play Scrap Bee for June

And this is my block for Linda, my June partner in the Block Swap Adventure

I hope the recipients like the blocks I made them! Now, if I can get little man to go back to sleep I can get some more stuff done tonight! :D

Some swap updates :)

First, as I stated the other day, May was my month for the Let's Bee Together Bee... I was a little late getting my fabric out, so the blocks are still coming in. I am THRILLED at what I have received so far!

These are from (top L-R then bottom L-R) Charlene, Linda, Toni, Jadie, Erin, and Debra. Aren't they fantastic together?

I guess that means I need to decide what I am going to do for "my" block. I have already decided I will probably sash the blocks in a dark brown, and add a piano keys border with all the scraps I have gotten back. How does that sound?



Also, I have still been participating in the Inchy Hexagon Flower swap. These are the hexies I have received so far. I apologize that I don't have a list, some people didn't sign them and I didn't keep the envelopes (which I wish I had noticed they weren't signed so I could have written on the back of them :/ ) I still haven't decided what I want to do with them, but I think maybe a few throw pillows would be nice when I finally get my own place again!!


I do have some more stuff to share, but I will save some for Thursday! In the meantime, it has been awhile so I will share these two of the (not) babies!Aubree is now 9 months old, and walking short distances. She says "mama" "dada" and "cullen" (no, really, if she can't see or hear him, she stands up, looks around, and says "cuh-en! cuh! cuh-en!") She is such a happy and cuddly baby--way different than the colicky baby she was for the first two months!
And my handsome little man, Cullen, is now almost 3! He amazes me everyday with how much he learns. Oh what I wouldn't give to be 2 again, and amazed at everything I see! Everytime we go outside, he says "Look mom! A tree!" and when we get to my car he says "Jorie's car!" (Yes, we still haven't gotten over him using my first name). He can almost count to 20 (he does it perfect with help... on his own he gets to 13, and then says 12..13...12...13...12...13... TWENTY!!! hahaha), knows all his upper and lower case letters, and is learning how to write them and what sounds they make. Thanks to "Super Why", one of the only tv shows he gets to watch, he also can read/recognize quite a few short words. I am sure all moms do this, especially at this age, but I ask myself every day how I got so lucky to have such great babies. Cullen is (usually) such a great big brother, and while he is super rambunctious and likes to play fight, if he gets rough, he will stop and say "booboo!" and give me a kiss, a hug, and ask if its all better hahah! He barely sits still, and when he does, I usually get pictures like this:

Hehe! Hope everyone has a great week! I must get off and finish my homework, tomorrow is my long day (school AND work), so from 1130am when I leave to drop the kids off, until 3am Thurs morn I am out and about :( Boo!!

♥ Jorie

Over two months!

Wow, have I been a slacker or what? Well, at least in my virtual and sewing life I sure have! I do have an excuse though-- several valid ones, but I understand they're still just excuses ;) I am finally caught up in all of my swaps though (I apologize to everyone who received stuff late from me these last couple of months!)

After spending two and a half months without my babies, I picked them up from their daddy in May, and then started school less than two weeks later... So between school four days a week, working a couple nights a week, the video card on my laptop being out, spotty wireless internet for the desktop, and the kiddos, it's been hard to find time to sleep, let alone give my sewing machine any exercise or post on the blog! I think we have finally settled into a routine, and I have gotten quite a bit of sewing done this week. There are a few pictures I can't post (at least not until the recipients get them!), but there are a few I can!

These are blocks I finished up tonight, for the 15 Minutes Play Scrap Bee (May's blocks *sigh*). Sara wanted island and lake blocks. It was such a unique and fun idea!! I never would have thought of a block/quilt like this. (June's blocks are just as different!)

It certainly has my head reeling with new ideas for when it's my turn :)

And these are my April blocks for Kate in the Let's Bee Together Bee...

I made the slanted diamonds one first, then realized I had missed where she asked for pinwheel blocks. I sent them both to her, hopefully she can use the diamonds on the back, or for something else entirely maybe!

Speaking of my turn and LBT, I have also received a few blocks from the Let's Bee Together Bee, as May was my month... I need to take an updated picture of the blocks I have received so far, so I will share that tomorrow. For now, though, it is time to head to bed-- my kids like to wake up with the sun! Glad to be back though :)

♥ Jorie

DQS10 and a few blocks

Although I haven't been posting much, I HAVE been sewing like a mad woman lately! Unfortunately, I keep getting creative bursts late at night, which means I waste most of the day in bed :/

Awhile ago I ordered these fabrics with DQS10 in mind. My partner seems to like bright and warm colors, modern prints, and I just so happen to love Joel Dewberry so what better excuse could I ever find to order some up? Then after browsing through my partner's photostream and blog, I wanted to make something that would fit alongside those choices, but not be too similar. This is the idea I came up with-- you can see how precise I am in my sketches hehe:

And I posted a picture on flickr when I finished all the blocks a couple nights ago:

I am still elated at how many people liked and "favorited" the picture! I saw something very similar once a long long time ago, before I was a quilter myself, so all I had was a picture in my head. I am not sure if this is how that quilt was pieced or not, but it worked for me and I am still proud of myself that when I sewed all the blocks together, everything matched up, I didn't even have to trim the whole thing-- That's a first for me! I guess we really are our own toughest critics, eh!

Now all the blocks are sewn together and I am having trouble choosing how to quilt it. I am thinking maybe just "outline" the edges? I bought a pretty multi-red thread (sorry but the actual word for it is escaping me all of a sudden) with the idea to use that on the white parts, but maybe I should just stick with white thread? I am running out of time! Any one else have any other ideas?

On another note, I did receive these two very cool blocks from Charlene, my partner for March in the Block Swap Adventure:

I am loving this swap so much! I can't wait until I can put them all together, I think this quilt is going to look fantastic! Thanks again Charlene!

A little progress

Last night I finished my part on Hollie's quilt top. Tomorrow I am sending it on its way to Julie and working up my idea for Terrie's! Here is the sneak peek of Hollie's:

I hope she likes it!

I also made this hexie flower, for Maria in the Inchy Flower Swap. It was supposed to be sent last month, but obviously I am still playing catch up (so that means she will get more than just one)! Tonight I am making my flower for Jane and a couple for Maria.

I also made this block a few nights ago, but can only post a sneak peek for now! It is getting mailed off to my partner Charlene in our Block Swap Adventure! I hope she likes it!

Since I haven't a finish...

Since I don't actually have a finish to show (or really any true progress on anything!), I thought I would share some of the goodies I snatched up along my road trip:

First, in Houston on my last day in town I am getting ready to drop my good friend off at the airport when he says he has to drop something off at his friend's work, and he would just run in and back out really quick. We pull in and he directs me to a plaza, and then more specifically to the place called "It's a Stitch". I assumed it was an alterations shop until I parked and saw rows upon rows of fabric bolts!

"You bring me to a quilt shop and expect me to wait in the car?"

"Yes! I'll be quick"

So I waited and watched in my rear view as he went into the shop... That's when I noticed the Moda sticker on the door. I couldn't contain myself anymore! They had a rather large selection of precuts available, and I am definitely a sucker for them!

I grabbed a layer cake of Eden, a Central Park jelly roll (although I am now wishing I had grabbed two!), and two charm packs of Make Life. To be honest, I am not really sure if I actually mentally processed what I was grabbing or buying at that point. My defense is that I was being rushed and therefore I was under duress and pressure!

In Kansas City I went back to the store I loved most last time I was there: Harper's Fabric and Quilts. There I was just browsing, but I did see some pretty FQs that I just could not leave there! Let me remind you that all the stuff I bought last time, around Thanksgiving, is sitting mostly untouched still!

So hopefully tomorrow I will finally be ready to post some pictures of what I have been working on!

Finally!!

Whew! I am finally at my dad's in Chicago. I got here late (after midnight) the night before last, and I am STILL trying to find a place for everything. I need to get my sleep schedule back on track as well, because sleeping in until 2pm every day is great, but not practical! It was a good (albeit expensive, with the rising gas prices) trip, I made several stops along the way and saw many old friends-- Houston, Dallas/Longview, Springfield MO, Kansas City/Leavenworth, and St Louis were all stops! I even treated myself to a 20$ makeover (yes twenty dollars)! A haircut and a new color later and:

Ta Da! And actually, the cost was even lower than 20... I went to a GreatClips for the cut, and they had a special for all haircuts (excluding S&BD) for only 6.99, and then a friend did the coloring, so that was another 7$ or so... Can't beat that :) Unfortunately, being a fake redhead is hard to maintain! It has only been a week and a half since this picture was taken and it has faded a bit. Fixing that this weekend :)

Today, while out running a few small errands, I happened upon what is, as far as I know, the only quilt shop here in the small town we live in (I say Chicago, but truth is, I'm about an hour South of "the city"). The shop is called B & J Sewing Center, and I was SO surprised when I walked in. The shop looks small on the outside, but there were TONS of fabric bolts in there, walls of patterns and notions, shelves with precuts, etc. The owners, Barb and John, were both there and extremely friendly as well. Best part is, they are right down the street! I have a feeling I will be racking up those loyalty points in no time!

So, for today I just have some laundry to finish up, then breaking out the sewing machine. I have alot of catching up to do! I promise I haven't forgotten about any of my commitments, they will be on their way asap! Sew on!

Good and Fun- a Round Robin

*sigh*
I am always late these days.
ALMOST caught up though!
Here is my center for the Good and Fun Round Robin. I actually originally wanted the center stripes to be slanted, but as I started piecing them together I realized how horrible my math was and that if I did, not only would I be wasting alot of fabric, but it would be alot more work than I planned! I ended up just trimming it to a decent sized rectangle, but I actually love how it turned out.

Now that my center is different than what I envisioned/planned I am even MORE excited to see what Julie and the other gals come up with! AND don't worry, I included PLENTY PLENTY PLENTY of extra fabric to be played with :)

And on a side note/off topic, those of you who follow along know that I recently moved across town. Well, now I am moving across country. In two weeks. *gasp* When it rains it pours, right? The good news is that once I get home to Chicago, everything will settle down quite a bit. I'll be working less, be back in school, and surrounded by family. I can't wait :) BUT that means this next week I am going to be a sewing fiend to try to get everything I can done, not only this month, but also for March! Wish me luck :)

Block 8 is done!

Hard to believe we are already 2/3 done with the LCQA! Here is my block 8:I was iffy about using two of the same prints but different colors, but I love how it turned out! Only four more blocks to go!

Worst Blogger?

Okay maybe not THE worst, but I can't be far from it! Nearly two weeks since my last post... Well, alot has happened in the last two weeks, in my defense. First, my kids, my roommates, myself, and pretty much everyone else around me caught some horrible flu bug. I actually think it was some mutated flu virus, because this thing knocked all of us on our butts. Both of my roommates, my sister in law, and my daughter made visits to the ER.
(The hospital gown makes me look tan! Tee hee)

There was about 10 days straight that I couldn't even keep a meal down. I have gone down two jeans sizes in less than a month! That may be a good thing to some, but when all your jeans are falling off and you can't afford to go buy a whole new wardrobe right now it's not so great haha!

ANYWAY, with all that going on (plus work, spending time with my kiddos, my dad coming to visit, etc) I have managed to get a LITTLE bit of sewing done. I finished this block for Tamera as part of the Let's Bee Together group.

She gave directions for the main shoofly block, and said to make the sashing scrappy. It's on its way to her now, and I'm hoping she likes it!

Oh, and remember that block I sent to Linda last month for the Block Swap Adventure? Well, she posted a picture of the full block here. I forgot to take one before I sent it off, so you can see it there :)

More coming soon :)

iPod Touch Case

I was up late last night, (surprise surprise) and decided to clean the house. Our sink had been stopped up for the last two days due to the neighbors moving out and tossing who knows what down their drain. Since ours connects to theirs and the catch is on their side.... well, lets just say it was unpleasant :/ Dishes were piled everywhere... ugh... Anyway, all that is really unrelated to my reason for posting! Anyway, yesterday sink was finished, I was tired of the mess. I cleaned the whole house spotless last night. I was on a roll. Then I found my roommate's iPod Touch on the floor. Again. She also just tosses it in her purse constantly. I keep telling her it is going to get scratched or broken but she doesn't listen!

So... after I was done cleaning, I decided I wanted to make her an ipod case. I searched google for an ipod touch case tutorial but wasn't finding anything I really wanted to make. I thought about it for a second and then realized I really could figure it out on my own, so I just winged it. A mere 30 minutes or so later I had this:The "A" is because her name is Alicia. She had seen this fabric in my bin one day last week and mentioned she liked it, so I picked it out.

I quilted tiny pebbles around the A... Not bad, but I thought quilting something small like this would be easy, but boy was I wrong. I felt like I had less control! Also, at 2am I am sure my quilting skills weren't at their sharpest, but I still like how it looks!

By the time I got to the back I decided I was pebbled out, though, and decided to do a quick stipple!

The lining wasn't quilted in, I added that after the quilting, and finished it off with a snap closure. I then put her ipod in it and set it on the dining room table for when she got home. She loves it :)

And I am not sure why the color is a bit funky in the first and last picture... I still need to get a nice camera. This iPhone camera can only do so much :/

A (partial) FINISH!

A few nights ago, I finally finished sewing my strips into blocks for the Postage Stamp QAL....

It was 1230 am (ish).

Then before I went to bed I REALLY wanted to lay the all out and see what my finished top would look like:

Then I realized that I hadn't pressed the blocks yet... 48 blocks, that took awhile. It was almost 3am by then (I took a few breaks for various reasons).

I was so in love with my progress that I just couldn't stop then! So I kept going. I didn't feel like I was up that late, but before I knew it, it was past 5am and my quilt top was done (and pressed!)

Totally worth it!

I really want to quilt it myself, but it's pretty darn big for my little machine (There's a 6'5" 300+lb man holding that quilt top up for me!). I wanted to do pebbles inside all the solid squares, and I think I could do it since I wouldn't have to move the whole quilt much at a time. What do you think? Suggestions? Ideas? I don't want to send it off if I don't have to, but I have a Brother CS6000i, and the throat on it isn't that big. I had trouble stippling a 55x75 quilt, and this one is a good 5-6" bigger length and width-wise!

Help!

LCQA Block 7

Wow, I can't believe we are already on block 7 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along! More than halfway done :) Here is my block:

And here they are all laid out together!

I am starting to think I may have bitten off more than I was ready for! Hopefully tomorrow I will get some more time at my machine to show of some other stuff I have been working on. It feels so good to be using my machine again! :)

Scrap-Bee

Well, I *finally* finished Victoria's block for 15 Minutes Play's Scrap-Bee. Just in the nick of time, I believe. I have one more block to make for another Bee/Swap, and a few other miscellaneous things and I am all caught up.

Here is the block I made for Victoria:
It was really fun to make, but made me totally step out of my element! (That's a good thing!) I think I am really going to enjoy this bee!

I also finished a quilt I was making on commission. It looks amazing, and has taken me soooo long to finish, but unfortunately I had to give it to her today and didn't take a good picture beforehand... Hopefully she snaps a few for me, since this is the best I have:

The pic was taken before the quilting (meandering loops and occasional "hidden" hearts using a brown-green variegated thread), and before the binding. I am quite proud of the finish, even if I got down to the wire with completing it!

Side note- I really need to get a new camera now. This iphone is great for many things, but detailed pictures with good lighting is not one of them. *sigh*

A few blocks and an Update

I finished Block 6 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along a few days ago.

I like how it turned out!! I think I should have thought ahead more when picking the squares for the blocks, because now alot of the squares left are the same prints in different colors. I'm not sure how the rest of the blocks will look, but I can't wait!

I also *mostly* finished my Birdie Stitches BOM for the month of January. All except for two spirals at the top

I probably won't finish that until later this month though, so I am sharing it now.

Ever feel like you took too much on? Well, I'm there! Haha at least it is keeping me busy and my mind off other things. I ALSO am participating in the PS I Quilt Postage Stamp Quilt Along, and I am almost done with my strip sets and should have a picture to show you all tomorrow!

The new place is almost all settled and coming together, but I have to run to the store and go get some other little stuff, and get ready for work. Longer post later :)

A few more things...

I finished block 5 of the Layer Cake Quilt Along this afternoon during naptime:
I really love this block! I made a mistake sewing the wrong strips together, and basically wasting a nice chunk of fabric (although I will find something to use it for later, I won't be able to repurpose them into this quilt), but I cut a little more and did it the right way, haha.

I also finished this month's block for "Let's Bee Together," a bee started by Linda, of Stray Stitches. It just so happens that she also took the first month, so my block is for her! Here is a sneak peek, but I will show the finished block when she gets it! :)

I have a few things I am trying to cross off my to-do list before I pack everything up to be moved, so hopefully I can get them all done tonight and tomorrow!