Home Sweet Home . . .

Most of you have never seen our home, so I thought I would show you it.

S has worked very hard on the yard, and it looks amazing! I'm so proud of him! We have 2 big oak trees and 2 big walnut trees.  We're pretty lucky to have such a cute home with such a great yard.

So, I am working on a quilt . . . but I'm so dad-gum close to finishing that I don't really want to show you until it's done . . . hopefully by the end of the week.  I'm working hard to get it done for Spring to Finish! So here's a sneak peak!

Finally . . . do you remember this chick?(Yes, I'm thinking of the one played by Uma Thurman, but I can't find a good picture. However, great movie!!!) I am her, just without the hotness or the craziness.  Yep, just the poison part.  It's been about a week and is finally going away, but I'm pretty much miserable.  Pity me. :(

I now leave you with a picture of Ralphie helping me with a layout for work . . . she is a GREAT helper!

See ya!

Mother's Day . . .

So, almost a week late, here is my Mother's Day Post.

For my mom, I made this.

It's just a little tote for her garden. My mother has an AMAZING garden. Everywhere we have lived, our yard has always been beautiful. Her house now is the one place we have lived the longest, and her backyard gets more lovely every year. In addition to amazing flowers, she also has vegetables and herbs. Her tomatoes are crazy big. S's favorite garden is when she makes her pico garden, with peppers and onions (but I think he just likes the resulting pico!). So back to the tote. The bottom is hard (I cut up a warped cutting mat) so it would hold up a little better. The black and pink material is separated into pockets so she can stick her tools in there. I thought it would be good for her because right now she carries her stuff around in an old box top. When I told her that, she laughed and said that the box top was for weeds, and the bag was too pretty for that. She wants to use it when she harvests her vegetables.

For S's mom, I made these.

They are pillows to match a wall hanging I made her when I was dating S. I was trying to get in good with the family, and I think it worked. It's hanging in their bedroom and they love it. The hearts are mostly from my Grandmother's stash (she helped me a lot with the original hanging). It's so funny because she has had her stash for a LONG time! I have found the same material in the stash that is in the quilt she made me when I was born! (It's lovely, a pink and blue double wedding ring. I pull it out when I'm sick or sad because it makes me feel better.)

So there are 2 more for the Spring To Finish! That makes a total of 3! Woo Hoo :)

Also, I have an update on the Improv quilt. I'm quitting. (Sorry Jacquie). I tried, but I couldn't find a way to be happy with it. I think that I haven't grown enough as a quilter to branch out on my own yet. I need a few more "safe" years of copying patterns and coloring inside the lines before I get a little crazy. But at least I tried. That's a big step for me! Anway, at least that's one less UFO! Woo Hoo!

See ya!

Oh baby baby . . .

So this weekend was the wedding! Congrats MaryAnne and David! We're so happy for them! Here they are with all the buddies and the buddies-to-be! The wedding was great, and it was wonderful to see everyone.

We got to meet this sweet little boy! (and see his daddy looking like the brawny paper towel man!)
We gave him this quilt . . . which was finished in the car on the way to the wedding! Nothing like a last-minute gift!

It's quilted in the ditch. I know some people don't like it that way, but its quick and easy and it looks pretty good. It's not the best quilt every, but it's my best one so far. I'm pretty proud of it, and Steven was too. I hope Miles likes it.
Of course, Ralphie had to help. I guess this is project #1 for Spring to Finish! Hurray!
We also got to meet this sweet angel (no, not Danelle). Tatem is Joe and Roses' sweet baby. We didn't even know they were pregnant. She's 11 weeks, and we're pretty impressed. She is gorgeous.


I also have 2 mother's day gifts to tell you about, but I didn't want this post to be too long, so I'll talk about those later.


I leave you with a self portrait by Kaylie Paige.
See ya!

1 Chance at a first impression . . .

FYI: Tallgrass Prairie Studio has extended the Spring to Finish! Hurray! Maybe I can redeem myself from last month.  I'm not going to make a list this month, but I'm pretty sure I'll do better than my dismal 1 finish and no submissions.  

And now, to personal business; I still feel sick, but I'm getting better. I need to be in tip-top shape, though; this is a big weekend coming up! Not only is it Mother's Day, but S's birthday is Monday and we are going to College station for a wedding on Saturday.  At this wedding, we will be seeing all the buddies (well, at least some of them), including Kyle, Katie, and baby Miles!  We will be meeting him for the first time . . . and I am EXTREMELY excited! I am making him a quilt! (I'm not above bribing babies for love.) It is pieced and half-way quilted, but this is it!

It is a Monkey Wrench design, and if you know Kyle and Katie, you'd understand.  Kyle and his father are REALLY into cars . . . they fix them up and go to shows, and it's basically a family affair.  I'm pretty sure that Miles will be working on cars pretty quick.

I'm still pretty sloppy in piecing, and even though I did my best, my blocks were not square.  They needed to be 12 1/2" square, and they were insanely bad.  I used Fransson's freezer paper method, but I didn't really like it. I couldn't make it stick really well without using steam, and the steam made it wrinkle.  The blocks were also so large that it was difficult to handle. When I ripped it off, it pulled and broke the thread.  Maybe I should try the freezer paper with pieces instead of whole blocks or maybe I should iron it immediately before I sew it.  Or maybe I just need to learn to piece correctly. That might help.  The end product was great; one of the best set quilts I've done, but it was a hassle.  If I have to, I'll use it again, but only when EXTREMELY necessary (like I'm giving it away to non-family and it actually needs to look good). This is the first quilt I have made for someone outside of my family. I'm not exactly happy with it, but S loves it. So I guess it's OK.

This block is my favorite.

It has a T-Rex in the middle! Steven picked out all the fabrics and the design.  It's about half bright colors and half kid prints, but there is the required Aggie fabric.  The "wrench" is a really cute fabric that looks like pick-up tool box metal. I should have it quilted and bound by Wednesday or Thursday, and I'll put up a pic of it later. Maybe I'll get a pic of him this weekend! Woo Hoo!

I leave you with a preview of one Mother's Day gift.  It is finished and shipped, but I won't tell you about it until next week after she gets it.

I am now off to finish quilting the Monkey quilt!

See Ya!

Influenza

I have the flu. Not the swine one, the regular, hit-you-like-a-ton-of-bricks flu. I feel like crap. Not only that, but I missed Spring to Finish and an apron challenge from Angry Chicken. It pisses me off, and that makes me tired. Going to take a nap.

Reminiscing . . .

I love Sew Mama Sew (on my side bar). One of the great things is the Forum, where people ask and answer questions. I have asked a few myself, and have received wonderful (and quick) advice. As I was perusing it today (yes, my 50 cent word, perusing) I found a woman who is just learning to sew and wants to make a quilt for her young son. A friend of hers told her it was too hard and not to even try. It broke my heart. So I (along with MANY others) told her to go for it! The first thing I ever tried to make was a quilt.  Now, I'm not saying I'm a wonderful quilter (ya'll know I'm not) but I do enjoy it. So it got me thinking about the first quilt I made.  I don't have it anymore, but I remember it well.  In first grade, we read a story about a boy who couldn't go anywhere without his blankie, but his mother said he couldn't take it to school with him. So throughout the book, his mother would cut his blankie in half until, by the first day of school, his blankie would fit in his pocket. (Isn't it funny the details we remember? Now, ask me my teacher's name from the first grade . . . a total blank!) So I had to make a blankie that would fit in my pocket for an assignment. It must have been over spring break, because I remember being in my Great Aunt Billie's house with my grandmother and her sisters quilting around a frame, and asking them to help me make a quilt for school. Obviously, I got REALLY bored REALLY quick, and ended up gluing it together, but they did try. Now, go ahead, ask me my address from first grade . . . a TOTAL BLANK! But I remember quilts and books! The next time I tried to quilt, it was in Jr. High.  Here is the product. It's a Nine Patch/Nine Patch. Those are applique tulips in the off squares (still my favorite flower). I pieced it, got bored, and left it at my grandmothers.  For high school graduation, she had found it and quilted it for me. I didn't realize how much I would treasure it until recently. I didn't try to quilt again until I met up with a group of lovely ladies (and their blenders and margarita mixes) in college, and the rest, as they say, is history. Sorry about the ramble with few pictures, but sometimes a trip down memory lane is just what the doctor ordered.

See Ya!

Darling . . . it's been too long

I know, I know . . .  I'm a horrible blogger. It's been, what, 2 weeks? But it's been a crazy 2 weeks. Here's a quick recap:

Went to Austin to meet this sweet girl, Riley-

Here I am with Riley. She is so sweet. She's a month old and is SO TINY! She spent most of the time sleeping in her swing, or screaming in some one's arms, but she actually slept with me. Most babies tend to freak out when I hold them, but she didn't.  My cousin says it's because she's family, so she automatically loves me. I like that. I love her too.

And Daddy (mine) with Riley.

Momma and my grandmother (Nanny-Pud) with Riley. This is her ninth great grand child!

And lots of other wonderful family members, but only so many pics can fit. Came home on Monday and saw Red for the first time in like a year! I'm not showing that picture because I look like I've been shot at and missed and sh** at and hit. It's not a good picture. Then had the week from H E double hockey sticks at work (I don't like to talk about work, but believe me, it was bad.) Then, we got to see some more friends we hadn't seen in a while. . . Rockey, Lindsey and little Laney!

Isn't she precious? She's a year old, and she is the happiest baby I've ever seen!

Then the dishwasher died and Steven's shower exploded (not really, but it did require a plumber on Monday.) The new dishwasher came today, a week after it went out. I've been washing dishes by hand (it sucks, really bad). But its here now, so that's good.

Another, good thing, the flowers are blooming.

These are my dianthus. I LOVE THEM!

As I promised (so long ago) here is a sneak peak at my latest work in progress. I keep thinking I'm almost finished, but it never gets there. This is the first quilt I've made for someone who isn't family, so they don't have to love it. I'm extremely critical of it, and I'm not really loving it, but S thinks it's cool looking, so I guess it's OK. Maybe next week I'll have more pics for you. You can tell me your opinion.

By the way,"Hi" to Mary and Fi. They both have commented on the blog, but I don't have emails, so I can't say hi back. Love you and miss you both! Quilting hasn't been the same since our Monday Night Craft Night (and blenders of margaritas)!

See ya!