WIP Wednesday . . .

I've had a stack of blue and yellow fat quarters sitting around waiting for a quilt pattern for a long time.  My original plan was to make an HST quilt, but after doing some smaller projects with half-square triangles lately - I just couldn't see myself squaring up every block for an entire quilt and enjoying it.

Then a couple days ago, I came across the Orbit Quilt-Along.  I began cutting that day, and by the next night I had all the pieces ready to be sewn into rows.

So even though I have two other quilts waiting to be quilted right now, another quilt has been started.  At least it's giving my neck and shoulders a break - I've been seeing a chiropractor and massage therapist again lately because everything has been so tight, apparently that's quite common with quilters?  Or maybe I should stop picking up my three year old.

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

Sometimes we bake . . .

My hubby went away overnight this past weekend, so the girls and I decided to surprise him by making his favorite Sunday morning treat . . . cinnamon buns.

Recipe found here.  One recipe made eight round foil pans.

WIP Wednesday . . .

My Starburst quilt top is done! Now time to move on to the basting, quilting, and binding. Can't wait to have this one finished and on my couch!

Linking up to WIP Wednesday at Freshly Pieced.

My little quilt designer . . .

My daughter 'designed' this quilt last week, and last night I finished up the binding on it for her.  She had requested flowers and hearts for the quilting, and it was fun to try it out for the first time on a smaller project.

She was super excited to find the quilt on her bed when she woke up this morning, and my older girls are already asking if they can make some during Spring break.

Linking up to Fabric Tuesday.

Girls Shopping Trip!

With the weather starting to warm up around here, it was time for a girls' shopping trip this past Saturday.  This is something my sisters, mom, and I do a couple times a year and since my oldest daughter is nearing double digits, she got to come along this time too.  We took full advantage of the Old Navy Kids & Baby Sale - they have a great selection in the new Spring colors and styles, and everything we bought was on sale!  We had a great time throwing different outfits at her to try on, and she was a trooper through it all.  She went home with a couple pairs of jeans, a hoodie, shirts, shoes, a scarf, hair accessories, jewlery, a cardigan, and a skirt.  I love doing one-stop shopping :)

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective, and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

February bee blocks . . .

Here are my February bee blocks for the Joy circle of Do Good Stitches.  The host this month asked for blue, red, and white with a touch of gray.  This quilt will be donated to Siblings Together.

WIP Wednesday . . .

Borders for my Starburst quilt are done, now I just need to finish sashing and assembling the top . . .

Baby girl's quilt is just about done, and I had fun trying out some free-motion flowers and hearts for the first time . . .

Sketching out pattern ideas with these fabrics for the upcoming Nancy Drew blog hop . . .

Linking up at Freshly Pieced.

Vintage fabric store and quilts . . .

Last week I got the chance to go on a field-trip with my middle daughters' class.  We went to a town that is all set in the 1920's.  The shops and houses were filled with original items from that era.  The staff were all dressed in outfits from that time, and most of the students and chaperones also dressed up for the occasion.  My daughter came across my grade seven graduation dress in a box in my craft room recently and thought it was perfectly old-fashioned.  It fit her ankle length and has lots of lace and ribbon detail, and a built-in crinoline.

The town included a fabric store filled with vintage fabrics and notions.  It was fun to see how many prints were back in style; I would've been quite happy to take several home with me.

My daughter took part in a little role-play skit in the fabric shop, here's a pic of her measuring out some ribbon yardage for her 'customer'.

In the houses that we toured, the beds all had quilts on them.  Some of the details and stitching on the quilts were just beautiful.

I didn't realize that this field-trip would turn out to be eye-candy for a quilter, and am so glad to have had the chance to go.

There was even a vintage sewing machine on display.  Maybe one day I'll have a sewing room big enough to have one of these to decorate it with :)

Scripture bags . . .

Our girls school is having a fundraiser dinner tonight.  It has been a long tradition that the silent auction is for talents - whether it be in handmade items or services.  After getting my hands on a panel of pre-printed scripture verses, these scripture bags come together quickly for the silent auction.

I've made these bags several times now, and they fit our Psalter book and a standard size Bible.  This style is my 'boy' version, but my oldest daughter already told me that she prefers it over the 'girl' one :)

For the 'girl' version of this bag I like to make it with pleats or gathers on the front.  The style is inspired by this pattern.

There are so many more fabrics in my stash that would work great for these bags, and it's fun to have a quick finished project.  Now if only I could finish off the five quilts that are in progress, maybe I could spend more time making these . . .

WIP Wednesday from my 5 year old . . .

My baby girl decided she needed another quilt today.  Something soft on the back, and colorful on top.  A yard of cream flannel in my stash was decided on and laid down for the backing.  Then she spotted some charm packs of solids on the shelf in my craft room, so I let her start playing with them.  She quickly decided that she wanted the colors to stay separate, and since the main charm pack she was working from was already in light to dark color order, she started laying them out.

I helped her add in a couple blocks for colors that she needed more of, but she did most of the work herself.  Too bad I didn't think to pull out the camera as she concentrated on laying them all out.  When she was done, she ran upstairs to grab the camera and wanted a picture of the layout (maybe she's seen me do this a couple times?  I like to take a quick picture in case the blocks get mixed up later).

She then helped me sew a bit, and was great at bringing me the next row, laying out the finished and pressed rows, and stayed to help right until the quilt top was assembled.  I pin-basted it after she went to bed, and hope to quilt it another night this week - I have specific instructions to make flowers and hearts in my quilting.  I've been wanting to try something new with my free motion, so it will be fun to try it out on a small quilt.

My Starburst progress . . .

On Friday night, I had three hours all to myself while the girls went out with their Daddy.  So I spent it working on my new quilt for the Starburst Quilt-A-Long.  I have the four stars done now (they are 24" square each), and still need to add the sashing.  I'm contemplating adding borders just on two sides of the quilt to lengthen it a bit (my backing measures 62" wide so I want to take advantage of that).  I've been looking for instructions for a chain or cross-over design, and so far the closest I've found that I like is the Chain Reaction quilt from Freshly Pieced.  If anyone sees a tutorial for a cross-over type border, I'd love the link!

our little man . . .

What can I say about our little man?  He can throw a ball better than any of his sisters, will only go shopping with me if it involves a cookie or putting money in rides at the mall (and he'll sneak the coins right out of my wallet for one if necessary), loves it when Daddy takes him to the hardware store and lets him try out the power-tool demos, and has one Spiderman costume that we wears almost daily.

My little man is my only sidekick most days, and he loves it when I sit him down with a Kinder Surprise so I can enjoy a coffee break.  Recently, Kinder® sent us a package of their new Hot Wheels Kinder Surprises.  My little guy is loving these new toys - he carries them around in his pockets, and I find them lined up in rows all over the house.  They are definitely his most played-with toys right now.

Kinder is giving away two 24-packs of their new Hot Wheels and Barbie Kinder Surprises to FORTY lucky winners!  Just head over to their Facebook page to enter!

Disclosure: I’m part of the KINDER® Mom program and I receive special perks as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.