Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Hard Knocks of the Quilting Kind

I set out the other day to make a little mini quilt for my sweet next door neighbor's baby. I received all this cute printed fabric from a sweet friend & wanted to put it to good use. No more letting favorite fabrics sit in boxes anymore. 

Plus I'd promised her a little something & knew I could whip up something in a day. Sometimes it's just fun to make a little something that you don't NEED to make. You know just for the heck of it. I have a list of unfinished & to do that is a mile long. Seriously. I got it all quilted in just a little over two hours & I bound it while I watched a couple episodes of Bones. I threw it in the wash & then headed to bed. When I woke up in the morning I put everything right in the dryer. I planned on taking pictures a little after breakfast so I could post & then take the cute little quilt over to my friends house.

Picture me with a huge smile on my face only to turn into a super sad look of horror as I realize the bleeding of the back fabric all spotted over the front. I didn't panic. I put it in the wash & thought for sure it would all come out in the second wash. No such luck. It was totally ruined. All that hard work & it looked like a mess. 

 I figured I'd use it as one of those painful learning experiences & know what not to do next time I use red fabric with light colored fabric. First off it was a cheaper red fabric. There's something to be said for spending a little more for the Kona cottons. Next time I'll be using a color catcher whenever I wash a new quilt. Every time.

My only saving grace with this whole experience is that it was a relatively small quilt 27"x27" & I had only spent a day on the whole project. I would have been devastated if it had happened on something I'd spent weeks on. I also had a chance to practice my quilting stitch pattern for the next project I worked on. 

There was a good ending to this whole thing. Even after I offered to make another one for my neighbor she told me she wanted to keep it. Have I mentioned how much I adore her? I foresee a new & improved quilt in her very near future. One that doesn't have pink splotches all over it ;)

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Lately......

I wake up to this little man every morning. Happy smiling & ready for adventure! He's learning to unzip his pajamas. Very pleased with himself too in case you couldn't tell. This morning I walked in his room & what should I see but a cute little boy sitting & jibbering away when all the sudden he opens up his jammie shirt super fast & shows his chest, lol! I couldn't help but laugh & laugh! He knew he was being funny too! He's such a happy little guy that sometimes he will wake up in the middle of the night & laugh for a few minutes while he babbles about something & then fall back to sleep. I love it & I love him more than I can even put into words.

I had a chance to buy a huge amount of vintage Fisher Price toys this past week. I found them on Craigslist & when I called Tim (the Fisher Price guy) he already had someone coming to look at them. They were a little more than I could afford to spend by myself. So I told my neighbor about the deal & she was interested in splitting them if I could get them. He had some things that I wanted & some things she had been looking for also. However things fell through & I was heartbroken. Tim, the Fisher Price guy, knew I really wanted them but his brother had come over to his house after I called & freaked out when he found out he was selling them. Tim told me he'd try to convince his brother to change his mind & I told him to call me.....even if it was 6 months down the road. We really wanted these toys. I know they are just toys but I've been trying to find some of them for years. Years! So you can imagine my surprise when Tim called me a few days later to ask if we still wanted to come & pick the toys up. I went while the kids were taking naps. Tim ended up being the nicest guy. He works for ADT security, so if you ever are in need of a security system in your home let me know, I'll send you his number. Nicest guy ever & I'm not just saying that because we got they toys :) He was glad the toys were going to a good home.

His mom had taken impeccable care of all of them. She even saved pieces of some of the boxes. The lithographs had come off of the airport but she had saved them & I was able to place them all back on. It looks amazing. Melanie & I had a fun time splitting the toys up. I wanted to make sure she felt everything was fair even though I feel I ended up with a little more than she did. Mostly due to the size of some of the vintage trucks I picked for Oblio. She didn't want the trucks (my Oblio loves them!) I did pout a little over a gurney & the hospital scale, lol, & she let me keep them even though she picked the hospital. I told her I'd make her little E. a baby doll blankie in exchange. It all was so silly & it made me feel like I was a kid again. The girls spent the better part of the weekend playing with all of their "new" toys. I'm already on the lookout for other Fisher Price things to add to our slowly growing town. Right now everything sits in neat little rows on top of our piano & computer desk. Ready to play with whenever they want. Eventually the toys will find a home on our bookshelves when they finally get built (hopefully sooner than later ;). 

Sweet little Sloan is almost off her crutches. She still needs them every once in a while but is trying to walk on her foot as much as she is able. She still has a couple of weeks left before the pain will completely go away but we are thankful she didn't break it. She's growing up so quickly! I've promised to show her how to shave her legs this week. Shhhhhh! Don't tell her I told you ;) I'm in a bittersweet stage with her right now. That in between stage, but we are finding our way. Sometimes she needs me, sometimes she doesn't. So the times that she comes to me to talk or confide I hold on & really try to listen. It's a new path for me as a parent. A road I've never gone down before & I often feel a little out of sorts, but I feel like we are setting the stones on this new path together. Sometimes I trip, sometimes she stumbles but more or less we are figuring it out together. We're paving the way for her sisters & eventually her brother. This path is such an important one. It's what will take her & them to all thier new adventures later on in life. My job is to make sure I help her set the stones properly & then we maintain it together. By doing these things my hope is they will have a smoother journey along the way. I have so much to learn as a parent but I couldn't think of a better preteen to do it with. She is so brave & confident. I'm so blessed to be her momma!

We planted our potatoes! Also planted the onions & peas. Really working hard on getting things going this year in our garden. The greenhouse is full of Kale & spinach, lettuce & onions. We have been able to have fresh salads from it all winter long! 


The girls love helping this year too. They are really starting to understand how things grow & how this all works. We are trying to get everything dialed in so we can get bees this year too. Dean & I spent the better part of Saturday taking down half of the carport near our garden. We never used it & now we have so much more room to get some more beds started. It felt so good to get outside & get my hands dirty. I even got a little sunburn on my shoulders & cheeks. The fresh air did me good this weekend. I'm thinking that I may try to work out in the yard a little each day when Dean is at work. He was so happy that I helped him. I know it motivates him to get things done when I take an interest in the projects he's working on. I've just got to find a way to balance it all. There are so many things I want to do & never enough hours in the day. I'm sure I'll find a way though. Three more weeks til school starts again & I want to fit as much fun in as possible!

Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Happy Tuesday!


No more monkeys jumping on the bed!

Little Oblio & I went to Carson City yesterday. It was a good visit with a specialist. They ruled out any neurological problems. So grateful for that. We were pretty sure that that would be her conclusion but it was comforting hearing it from her. So we'll just keep moving forward with the OT & PT. We all will keep working with him too. It really is making a difference. Sometimes it's as simple as not helping him. Allowing him to try to do things himself. When he starts to get a little frustrated I step in. It's really amazing what happens when you step back & really watch & listen to your children. Some days I'm a little more "in tune" with them than others, but the days that I am our whole house feels more calm & things run more smoothly. When I'm in tune with our kids I feel closer to them. I'm starting to notice a real change in our mommy child relationships to. They come to me more, our talks are more meaningful & real. I feel like I'm gaining their trust. As hard as all of this has been with Oblio having some developmental setbacks I am really trying to take this situation and learn from it. Some real blessings have come from it & for that I am very grateful. We have a long road ahead of us but I know everything is going to be okay.

Basted & ready to quilt

::UPDATE::
This seems to be the most pinned of all my quilts on Pinterest. So if you are visiting for the first time, hello! This is my own pattern but nothing fancy. I took a jellyroll & used it to make a giant log cabin quilt. This is just a pic of the before. You can see the finished quilt ::here:: Thanks for stopping by! Hope to see you again :)

The kids have officially tracked off! Woohoo! This week I plan on letting the kids sleep in as much as they want, letting them play as late as they like & just kind of unwinding. We've watched more Dora in the last few days than I care to admit. The weather over the last few days has been a little soggy & down right chilly. I don't blame them for wanting to stay inside and snuggle on the sofa. I've got a pile of projects sitting on the table ready to sew. Yesterday I picked up more batting so I could finish the back on my tumbler quilt & get it basted later tonight. I'm getting so close to being caught up on my sewing list. Best feeling ever! Well I'm off to make lunch & then get a little sewing in during nap time. Happy Tuesday!

Saturday, March 17, 2012

Hand Quilting & Vintage Finds

Little Oblio playing with our "new" Fisher Price toys


I thought I'd share my AWESOME vintage find that I scored at a yard sale last week. I saw it in a yard sale ad on Craigslist on Thursday night & about had a heart attack. I honestly had a hard time sleeping that night (I'm a total dork) I was worried I wouldn't get there in time to get it! I've been looking for one for YEARS! YEARS!!!! Friday morning I set my alarm early & arrived just a few minutes after the yard sale started. I tried to act like I was looking around but really couldn't help myself. I headed right for the school house. I was so happy that I got it! The lady was kind of laughing at me because I told her how happy I was & reminded her of the lunchbox I had bought from her last year. Yes I love vintage toys & lunchboxes. I told you I was a dork! I've been watching this school house on EBay for a couple years now & the bids always go too high. Finding vintage Fisher Price toys is hard & to find them in good condition is even harder. This one was in really great condition. All of it was pretty dirty but wiped up well & it now sits on top of our piano until the bookshelves are built. The girls can play with it anytime they want. Omri really loves the mini bus. I got everything pictured above for $22! A steal!

I finished basting Omri's quilt & started hand quilting it. My sweet friend Christi let me borrow one of her quilting hoops when my tiny one just wasn't cutting it. I'm on the lookout for a big one (like in the picture above) but haven't found just what I need yet. I'm heading to Carson City next week & hope I can find one while I'm there. If not I'll be buying one online. Hand quilting is such a slow process but I'm really enjoying it.

There is something so calming about the whole process. I'm working on this every night when Dean & I watch TV or a movie. I also take it with me wherever I go. That way I can work on it in any quiet moments that come along during my day. Those quiet moments are rare but do happen & even if I only get a row of stitches in, I'm that much closer to being done :)

I'm linking up to Amy's Sew & Tell Friday. Hop on over & take a look at all the awesome projects people have posted & if you are stopping by for the first time please leave a comment so I can come & say hello :)

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Race Car Quilt Top

 I'm overwhelmed at the sweet comments I received on my last post! Thank you so much for all of your kind words about my first quilts. Thank you Amy for sending some bloggy love my way ;) I've been working on this little embroidery project in the evenings & while at Dr.'s offices with Sloan. I finished it up the other night but haven't had a chance to take pictures until today. 

It's super wonky & I'm sure any seasoned embroidery enthusiast would giggle at my attempt but that's okay. It's kinda crooked & honestly only the second time I've ever done something like this. I sketched out my idea with Tailor chalk (it will wash off in the washer) & then picked out floss that I thought would go well with the vintage fabrics. It's totally cheesy but looks pretty close to the little race car drivers in the fabric. Seriously, even his name is crooked but I'm leaving it. It adds character, right?

Here it is all ready to quilt. I've decided to hand quilt this one. I've never hand quilted before so I'm pretty excited to learn. Since this is smaller quilt I think it is the perfect size to learn on too. I'll be working on it in the evenings & also adding a back to the giant log cabin quilt I made months & months ago. I'd love to hear what you are working on too. Please don't be shy.