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

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!

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 :)

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 :)

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!

PTS4 Received! (+ some non-quilty-goodies!)

Once again, I am so pleased with my mail lady! I was starting to doubt the USPS after a package my grandmother sent me was M.I.A for about a week (what good is delivery confirmation/tracking if they don't actually update it?), but then yesterday I received a package I had ordered on Monday (only TWO days?!). I ordered these adorable candy cane earrings from The Clay Cafe, an etsy shop owned by a close friend of my sisters, who we met in high school (and her dad just so happened to be the CSM of the basic training battalion next to mine!) It came beautifully wrapped in a Christmas gift bag:

And inside were these goodies:

A postcard with a dinosaur for Cullen, a hairbow for Aubree (although she will have to actually grow some hair first!), and the earrings!

And how gorgeous are they? We have to dress festive at work, and I just now I will get lots of compliments on these, especially when I tell them they were handmade by a friend!

THEN TODAY, I walk to the mailbox, not expecting anything special, and there was a package, addressed to me, with "PTS4" written on it!! I was immediately nervous and excited, and even texted Shaine before I opened it. Inside, it was wrapped in pretty Christmas tissue paper, and even tied with a bow, but I was way too excited to take a picture first!

Oh, I was stunned! First of all, even the little goodies Megan sent were adorable and thoughtful. A note pad (maybe she saw my "make a list" posts!), a patchwork tissue holder, and a keychain wristlet (I think those are called FOBs? I never understood that name), as well as a little card.

Then the pillow... Oh my, the pillow...

She noticed that I adored cathedral windows (but have yet to attempt them myself), and knew I liked bold colors. The red and the black PERFECTLY match my living room! I can't wait for Shaine to come home with the car (mine currently is not running *grumble*) so I can run to Hobby Lobby or Joann's to get a pillowform for it! Thankyou so much Megan, it all is really fantastic! (And to the USPS-- I forgive you!!)

It's done! (FNSI Results!)

Well, my Friday Night Sew-In turned into a Saturday morning sew-in, due to some unexpected houseguests last night, but I have finished up all the goodies that are going along with my pillow for the Pillow Talk Swap!
There's the pillow, a mug rug, a drawstring bag (I used this tutorial--so fast and easy!), and some leftover triangles cut by my Go! Cutter for my partner to use however they see fit! Believe it or not, ALL of these were made using less than a fat quarter of each of the prints!

Now I am not sure if I am more excited to receive my own pillow or for my partner to receive hers! Making a trip to the post office on Monday! Should be a nice Christmas surprise for her :)

One Flower Wednesday

Another for the Inchy Flower Swap:
I wasn't sure at first about the purple and the yellow, but I love how it looks all done. I just hope that the yellow isn't too dark for my partner this month!
I need to hurry up and get it in the mail!

Pillowtalk progress, hexies, and more

I have all the blocks done for my partner's pillow. I wasn't completely satisfied at first, but the feedback I have gotten from the wonderful group members on the flickr group has been helpful!

The points don't measure up perfectly, and I have actually taken things apart more than once or twice. (Ignore the outside wonkiness... I haven't trimmed it up yet!) Normally, if it was staying here I wouldn't be such a perfectionist, but the pillows that come out of this group look so fantastic that I don't want my partner to be disappointed at all!!

I mentioned the boxy pouch I made that came out smaller than planned, right? Well it just happens to be almost the perfect size for my hexies:I printed the hexagon template from here. I am still waiting for my LQS to get the papers in. I know, I could just keep photocopying and cutting, but I'd rather pay for the convenience in this case!

Anyway, block two of the Layer Cake Quilt Along has been released! I would love to get it done today, BUT I do have work tonight, so we'll see. Plus, if I do it now, I'll be dying for the next two weeks until the next one is released! ;)

Make a List ... Tuesday?

Well, a day late, but that is better than never, right? I made a little progress this week:

1. Stitch up some quick cake stand covers for my sister 1/3 done.... *sigh*
2. Finish the owl pillow she asked me to make for her (all that is left is to stitch up the opening from stuffing it) If I say she doesn't want it until next month can I let this go a little longer?
3. Sketch up an idea for a new baby quilt for a good friend, and for my brown bag quilt Both done! :)
4. Make a bag with one of the patterns I have and have not tried yet Didn't get around to it, but I am going to try one of these boxy zipper pouches I have seen all over the place today before work!
5. RELAX! We're never really DONE with that, are we?

So, as I was typing, my doorbell rang, and guess who it was? UPS! With my correct Accuquilt dies! So excited! Last night I finally broke down and cleaned up my sewing area, and started cutting some 2.5in squares with the Accuquilt Go! Cutter... I am already head over heels! I love it, and can't wait to use it again. Turns out the 2.5in squares are the perfect size to use for some hexies, and I just so happened to ask Shaine to print some templates off for me from work (My LQS ordered a pack of die cut ones, but they STILL haven't gotten them in. I could trace/cut, but I worry that they won't be too accurate. Anyway, I then made my first two hexies and stitched them together. Not half bad! So then I got the fabric I was planning on using and made 7 more and put them together. Here is my --first ever-- hexie flower:

It is being dropped in the mail tonight and on its way to Jenni of Jenni Sews. It is the first hexie I am sending as part of the Inchy Flower Swap (see the button on the right!), and I also received my first one yesterday as well! I requested white/light centers and citrus colors for the petals (whether all the same, or all different didn't matter). I have yet to take a picture of it, but you can see it, and some of the others so far, in our flickr group here!

And now, for this week's list:
1. Make a boxy zipper pouch for my essentials at work (is it cheating to put this if I am already planning on doing it as soon as I am done with this?)
2. Finish the last two cake stand covers
3. Play with my new accuquilt dies (I know, hard to squeeze in, right?)

This week is a short list... Work tonight, Spurs game (woohoo!) tomorrow night, Shaine has class Thursday, and I work Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday. *Sigh* Things are much busier with Shaine working full-time, going to school, and me working close to full time! Oh well, it will all pay off eventually, right? Right?

Swaps and a Giveaway!

I have signed up for two swaps in the last couple days!

I am SUPER excited, as I have not yet participated in any. First, I signed up for the fourth round of the Pillow Talk { Swap } and I can not WAIT to get started! Here is my inspiration mosaic:
I am sure it probably seems all over the place to a PTS veteran, but I attempted to show styles and designs that interested me. I love bright colors, but as far as our home decor goes, we have mostly jewel tones... (Although I have already warned Shaine that a really awesome pillow may call for new curtains and wall hangings!) Truth be told, I haven't been sewing or quilting long enough for anything to be "old" or "outdated" to me yet anyway! Everything is new, interesting and amazing! (Whoever makes mine will be lucky, I am going to be easy to please!)

The second swap I signed up for was The Inchy Flower Swap. Each month you send to someone, and receive a 1 inch hexagon flower. Each month is a different person, so you are sure to have a WIDE variety of prints and designs when all is said and done! I better practice to make sure mine are up to par.

The giveaway I mentioned is at Green Fairy Quilts. This is one of my favorite online fabric shops, and the one I check first. They always have great deals and sales, and until Monday you have a chance to win a fat eighth bundle of Breakfast at Tiffany's (gasp!) or a $30 gift card to the online store (for the most referrals). I am sure I will not be able to refer too many people, but if you do happen to head that way, mention me :)