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!