Christmas Quilts are coming along!

Christmas is coming! It's only 6 weeks away!

So, last time I said I would keep you updated on my progress and that I would try to sew 4 days a week. So far I've been doing ok!

Saturday all my friends were at a retreat, so I had a pity party!! I shipped one kid off to grandma's and the other one was pretty happy in her "Thunder-dome" (it's a play pen, but the reference cracks me up), so I parked in front of the TV and sewed for 6 hours! 

I got 2 lap-size Christmas quilts pieced and 1 full-size Christmas quilt mostly cut!

Sunday - I cut some more on the full size quilt.

Monday - NOTHING!!!!!

Tuesday - finished cutting out the full sized quilt and laid out the more intricate blocks. Started piecing the blocks. Decided on a pattern for a KING SIZE Christmas quilt.

Wednesday - I swear I spent 3 HOURS shopping and I'm counting it! I needed to buy the fabric for my king size quilt. Thankfully the pattern is made in all 2.5" squares and rectangles, so I decided to make it easy and buy jelly rolls.  I wanted solid colors, obviously in red, green, and white. Guess what, YOU CANNOT FIND GREEN JELLY ROLLS!!! I went to 2 LQS, called 2 more, checked out at least 7 online stores and COULD NOT find green jelly rolls. I finally found the color I wanted on Ebay. After getting them off Ebay, I realized I had purchased Junior Jelly Rolls from my LQS in red and white, so I only had half of what I needed. So I ordered more online (from The Fat Quarter Shop! Quick shipping and awesome selection!).

At this point, I do want to give a shout-out to my LQS Stitched With Love. It's a bit of a drive for me, but when I couldn't find the green I wanted, they pulled out their Kona and Bella color cards and helped me go through and find the right color. (Evidently the one "green" that I found online was really teal. Would not have worked.). They also offered solutions to make cutting a billion strips easier and then offered to buy the green jelly rolls I wanted from the supplier for me in case I couldn't find it. Their customer service is AMAZING! That is why I'll make the drive and spend the time to shop with them!

Thursday - finished piecing the blocks, pressed and trimmed. Laid out full size quilt.

Friday - pieced full size top!

This weekend I'll be visiting my grandparents out of town so I doubt I'll have any more time to sew this week, but I've actually surpassed my weekly goal (an hour a day for at least 4 days). Lets just hope I can keep up the momentum next week! Next week I hope to baste and quilt the 3 tops I have done, and start piecing the KING SIZE quilt!

My goal is to have 4 christmas quilts completed by Thanksgiving. We're having a Christmas party on the 5th and I want everything decorated really well! So cross your fingers for me! If I keep going this way, I might be able to have it done!!! :)

See ya!

EL

November, How I Love Thee . . .

This time of year is always crazy.

Crazy but fun! I love fall!

As usual, I'll spend this month trying to make ALL my Christmas decorations . . . And next month I'll spend my time trying it make ALL my Christmas presents . . . And I rarely get anything done, much less everything! Add to all that, this year I have an (almost) one year old who requires almost constant supervision (I mean, come on! Don't you know not to eat cat litter yet?), a 4-year-old who has activities and friends (really? Gymnastics every week? And playing with other children? Can't you be anti-social like your mamma and just stay in your room to read?), and a new part time job (yes, from home. But still! You can't wash dishes and placate angry tenants at the same time); and suddenly my sewing time is almost nonexistent.

My parents live in Leland, MS. Home of Jim Henson. :)

But this year, I'm going to do it! See if I don't! I have a plan, and a kiddo who expects (and is excited for) a Christmas quilt for her big girl bed. I hate to disappoint her!

But isn't that the definition if insanity? Doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results?

Oh well, crazy is a fun place to be!

To prove I'm not all talk, I present to you my Momma's birthday quilt.

Its Peaches and Cream by Natalia Bonner from her book Cabin Fever . AWESOME book!!!

Her birthday was October 20th. We went to her home for a "party" on October 24th. I finally mailed it to her on November 4th. Only 2 weeks late! That's a marked improvement! I'm usually at least a month (if not a year) late!!!

So, do you want to know my plan for the 2015 holiday season?

I propose that 4 days a week (more than half . . . Impressive!) I will spend at least 1 hour working on sewing projects (this can be cutting, planning, or layout in addition to sewing). I know it's not much, and I'm hoping at least one day (Saturday or Sunday) I'll have more time, but a goal is meant to be surpassed, right?

I then hope to update y'all at least once a week. What's a plan without accountability?

Hopefully I'll get a few projects done this year . . . And then I'll have great momentum for 2016!

And yes, i am thinking about my 2016 Quilting New Years Resolution. Aren't you? What's the fun of being a crafter if you're not thinking months ahead of the next holiday? ;)

It's good to run things by y'all again. I missed you! :)

See ya!

El