I'm in Quick Quilts Magazine!

OMG, I just received my September issue of Quick Quilts magazine only to turn the page and find my own picture staring back at me! A few months ago I submitted a picture to their "Quick Pics" section on their website showing me with my very first quilt. It was a pattern from their March 2001 issue so I figured they'd like to see a completed quilt from one of their old issues. Since it was my very first quilt, it is an especially sentimental moment for me.

At the top of this post is the cover of the magazine so you'll recognize it on newstands. I was drooling over the Joel Dewberry quilt called Moderne Meadow before I got to the Quick Pics section and started screaming ;-) Go check out the magazine to see this great king-size pattern in those gorgeous fabrics! And, ahem, if you insist on checking out "my" page then turn to page 30:I wonder if I really get the free batting they mentioned. I love the Warm Company! I've never won anything in all the quilting blog giveaways I've entered so I feel like I've finally hit the jackpot. Thanks for letting me brag tonight!

In quilting news, I've been adding sashing rows (Zzzzz... sorry, I just fell asleep there for a minute...) to my sister Carrie's quilt. Since this is a Scrap 9 Patch, I am including it in Amandajean's Quilt-Along over at CrazyMomQuilts. Sashing is a lonely sport and requires lots of reruns of Bones on the Tivo to keep me going. Is there anyone out there who enjoys sashing? Post a comment and let me know your thoughts on how to break the monotony.

I will also admit to a little fabric shopping yesterday which I will post about later (or when the internet becomes invisible to my husband...). Hope everyone has a great weekend!

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Summer Lovin' Happened So Fast

Ryan is the only one who looked semi-natural in the wig Audrey got for her birthday. I love this picture because he hasn't reached the stage of being too cool to pose for a picture with a wig on.

Audrey's second birthday was a low-key affair with family and some out-of-town friends up from Orlando for a visit. They brought her a "Hair Salon" kit which was the cutest thing ever. Every famiy should have a wig!

The Sunday after the birthday my friend invited Audrey and me on an unexpected beach trip which was such an amazing indulgence! I loved every minute of it and even enjoyed the lack of cell and email reception at the beach house. It was a quiet, relaxing trip that gave me the gift of time to catch up and grow closer to a very good friend. I am thankful to Andrew for watching the boys and allowing me the chance to take off.

When I returned my sister was in town for a great but short visit. We got to stop off at several bookstores for her to sign her book which made me feel famous by association.

This week I hosted a few friends over for a lesson on making a handbag. It was fun but I neglected to get pictures to share with you all. Oh well, next time.

Today I am off to a Girls' Weekend in the mountains. Yes, I am a spoiled princess. No, I don't mind if you call me that out loud. Now you know why you aren't seeing great updates of sewing projects here! Summer vacation has arrived with a whoosh-bang and I am loving every minute of it.

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You are TWO.

I know this is the most overused expression in parenting but that it because it is so true: THEY GROW UP SO FAST. This is my precious newborn baby. The girl I dreamed of for 33 years. How can it possibly be that she is two already? I cannot shop in the "baby" section of stores anymore. There is a big girl bed in her room now waiting for the crib to become a thing of the past in our house. It was only yesterday that my mom helped me pick out that crib for my 6.5 yr old when he was a new baby. Passing out of the "baby" stage of mothering is bittersweet.

This feisty girl is spoiled rotten. She is a mama's girl and I find it very hard to say no to her. She climbs up on the counter and says "see-all" which means she wants cereal. She gets a measuring cup out of the drawer and brings it to me wherever I am in the house as her way of saying "feed me". She eats all day long but is still the tiniest of my babies. She loves to say "stop", "wait", "peetz-zah", "belly", and "goosie" which is for our dog named Lucy. She calls her drink cup "Jew" whether it's juice or milk. She wakes up happy and goes to sleep talking to her baby dolls. She has a favorite blankie with a silky edge she likes to rub. She is a cuddler and will snuggle into even a stranger's neck.

She loves to swing and dance. She loves to try anything her brothers do including shooting Star Wars guns and waving around swords. She takes on a gruff deep voice when playing guns or cars which cracks us up. She is a wonder. She is a hoot. And she will always be "Baby Audrey" in our family. She is my dream come true and I am thrilled to celebrate her life today with utter thanks to the universe for sending her to complete our family.

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I'm a SEWING FOOL!

Ok, this post is about the pink and green handbag, but check out the two posts below for updates on my two quilt-along quilts.

My friend Julie told me about a project making a handbag out of placemats. With that in mind, I came across the most adorable placemats at Target a couple of months ago and picked them up. After googling "Placemat Purse" I found simple directions and got started. Less than an hour later and VOILA!

Yes, this was really just a placemat at Target!

Sorry the pics are always less than great, but if I took better pictures this would be a blog about photography instead of quilting and sewing!

Anyway, enjoy the eye candy. :-)

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Flag Day Farm Blocks

These are some of the blocks I've started for Oh Fransson's Mod Sampler Quilt in Flag Day Farm fabrics.

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O Tannenbaum

I've finished my first set of rows for the Old Red Barn Co Quilt-Along.

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Old Red Barn Co Quilt-Along Update

Ok, I got my fabric all cut and now I'm wondering if it's going to be too GREEN! This is Michael Miller's Funky Christmas line. I love the patterns and color combos in this.

I also spent some time sewing Oh Fransson Mod Sampler blocks from my Flag Day Farm fabric. Too many projects and not enough time!

I am hosting a Girls' Night bag-making party next Thursday to help spread the bag-making love. Now that I've finished putting the handles on my Meadow bag, I'm in LOVE. I will post finished pics of that tomorrow.

A friend of mine asked how I have time for all of this along with my three children being home from school for summer break. I told her the truth: I don't clean, do laundry, cook, etc. I let my children run wild while I hide in my sewing room and chant "la-la-la-la-I-can't-hear-you-la-la-la-la". And sew. And then beloved bedtime comes when I get to put the kids to bed and I return to my sewing room and continue.

Just kidding. Kind of.

Edited to add: for some reason Blogger doesn't want to include my paragraph breaks. Excuse the bad formatting. As an English Lit snob, I can't stand for you to think it was just me writing in a completely unorganized manner!

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ANOTHER New Project for me? Oh Fransson!

Yes, yes, I know I have a big quilt already in progress. Yes, I know I have another quilt-along (Old Red Barn Co) that I'm going to start this week. But I couldn't resist starting Elizabeth's (Oh Fransson) Mod Sampler Quilt-Along! I had a stack of fabulous Flag Day Farm fat quarters that have been begging to be turned into a quilt, like Right Now.

And even though these fabrics were all set in my mind in a Sawtooth Star pattern, I still couldn't resist changing the plans after seeing all of the wonderful Mod Samplers on Flickr.


It has taken me a couple of evenings of cutting to get everything prepped the way Elizabeth has it outlined. Talk about organized! Here is my first fabric pair organized on its card:

I added an additional pair of FQ's to her recommended 6 for a total of 14 different of fabrics. While getting all of the perfectly organized cards in a stack I had a fear that my two year old "helper" would get her "helpful" hands on them and rearrange the pairs and all of the cuts. So off to Target we went to get a box with a latching top to keep projects like this together and away from helpful hands. Not three hours after placing the perfectly organized stack into its new box did my child rip into it somehow and chuck all of the cuts from the top three cards onto the ground in a pile. ARGH.

After getting all of the cuts back in order I was short one piece. Huh? I FINALLY found it in my scrap drawer. Now you all know why I gave up quilting for 6 years when I was having three babies! It's all I can do to keep her out of the pins, scissors, hot iron and machine needle. She also threw all of my bobbins out of the bobbin case and into the little plastic water jug I use to refill my iron. Helpful. Very helpful.

I promised the Middle Child that I would paint his bedroom walls green. He loves green and has been asking for months. This is the child who pretty much does what we say. He's sweet, quiet, funny, and doesn't ask for much. So I will put my beloved sewing projects on the back burner (or try really hard to...) and take time this week to get the green paint on his walls. I mean, how can you resist a Clone Trooper's command?

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