Graduation Days

The first two weeks of summer have already flown by. I've been so busy hanging out with the kids I haven't had a lot of time to do much else once I'm done cleaning up after the day. I thought summer vacation would be a little more relaxed. I am having so much fun with the kids though.

Zoe graduated Kindergarten the week before school was over. She was such a cutie walking across the stage while she waved like she was at a Ms. America pageant. As each child came up to receive their diploma they told the audience what they wanted to be when they grow up. Zoe said she wanted to be a teacher. Which is an improvement from a superhero or a garbage man. Not that those two jobs aren't super important. I just think that teaching is probably a better profession to get into ;)

Zoe had a really great year. Her teacher Mrs. Andreason was amazing. They had a pretty tough student that caused a lot of problems for the class but she handled it with grace. I'm so sad that Aris won't be in her class this year.

I didn't get to know the T.A. as well but I am grateful for all that she did for the kids too. I know that without her help things would have been hard on everyone. They made a great team. Zoe is so excited to go to 1st grade now. I know that having such awesome teachers had a lot to do with her enthusiasm for the upcoming school year.

Sloan  graduated on the last day of school. She too had a wonderful year. Her teacher was just what she needed. Mrs. Madden is just the right amount of sugar & spice. She has no problem calling the kids out when they need it but she has also been known to be a real softie (just don't spill the beans to the upcoming classes) Her son is also a diabetic & she was able to stay on top of Sloan taking better care of her health.

 Sloan is at that tricky age where she's just sick of having this disease. She just wants to be normal like other kids. Mrs Madden was wonderful at finding an even balance for Sloan when it came to schooling & managing her health. We are so grateful for both girls having such wonderful teachers.

Zoe & Aris go back to school at the end of this month. How crazy is that!?!?!? However Sloan doesn't start until August. This next school year is going to be a little crazy with three different school schedules to juggle but I'm up for the adventure. Sloan in 7th, Zoe in 1st & Aris in half day kindergarten. It will be just me & my little buddy at home for the first part of the day. One kid at home is going to feel a little strange. I'm sure we'll find some fun things to do.

Doll Quilt

The front

I made this little baby snuggle/doll quilt for a baby shower two weeks ago. I received the mini charm pack of Summer House in my swag bag from Sewing Summit last year. I wasn't quite sure just how to use it. The squares were 2.5"x2.5" tiny! My friend Kelly was having a baby shower for her newest addition & I figured now would be the perfect time to use them.

 

The white cotton for the surrounding fabric & the blue binding were both purchased from Hancock. 

The quilting pattern is one I just kind of made up as I went. I knew I wanted hearts & paisleys. I used my machine but everything is free handed as I went. I do use taylor's chalk to map out lines on the quilts I work on so that everything is neat & tidy. The taylor's chalk comes out in the wash.

In the middle I used a "wiggle" stitch.

Up close of the quilting

Back of the quilt

I used a scrap of light blue & white gingham that I had from my stash for the back fabric.

Once I washed the blanket it had the most amazing crinkle to it. I do believe this is my favorite part of the whole quilting process. Pulling a blanket out of the dryer & seeing all the "puff" of the stitching makes my heart happy. Plus the "puff" helps to hide all of my little mistakes in the quilting ;)

Little Aris gave the blanket a test run. The blanket measures 24"x17" & can be used for burping or changing or as a snugglie while my friends baby is little. Once she is a little older she can use it to snuggle her own baby dolls. I like giving gifts that can serve more than one purpose.

I really wanted to make a little drawing of the quilting so that people can use it on their own projects. These first two weeks of summer break have proven to be a little crazier than I thought they would be. We are having so much fun though. If there is an interest in the comments section I'll draw it up this week & post it this weekend. Just let me know. 

So This is What 12 Looks Like!

12. 12 years. How did that even happen? One moment you are birthing a baby & the next thing you know that baby girl is turning into a young lady. It happened in a blink I tell you. I love this girl so much. She's feisty, funny, smart & a fighter. I love this age. It's challenging but I like that we can do more & more together. The gap between us is getting shorter & shorter. She'll be an adult in just a few short years. I love that we are becoming better friends. I'll always be her momma but knowing that she can come to me & talk to me about anything warms my heart. I hope it aways stays this way. Here's to hoping 12 is the best year yet. So far it looks very good on you ;) 

Animal Hand Quilt

I had so much fun making this quilt for Zoe' kindergarten class. It will be auctioned off this week. Every kid put a hand print on a block & her teacher painted all the animal features on the hand. I love how cute all the animals look. 

There was one extra hand print in this quilt so I added it to the back. 

I bought all the fabric at Hancock Fabric. The giant green gingham is my favorite! 

I usually do a much smaller quilting stitch but in this case I thought a smaller stitch would crinkle the hand prints too much once I washed the quilt. So I did a larger stitch. I don't know if I like it as much as some of my other quilting stitches but it was still a good learning experience for me. I feel a little more confident with trying new things with every quilt.

This time next week the girls will be starting our summer vacation. I am so very excited to sleep in (even if it's just 30 extra minutes). I look forward to playing in the back yard, visits to the library, dinners on the back porch, late afternoon bike rides & movies. I think I'm most excited that the girls can play a little later in the evening because they won't have to wake up so early in the morning for school. Omri is getting a little easier every week. He plays outside all afternoon while I work at the table. He usually comes in every 5 minutes or so to make sure I'm still paying attention to him. He's the cutest. I love this stage.

I wanted to thank everyone for bidding on the auction for Danny. Desert Rose will be getting her quilt later this week. I do have some very sad news. Danny passed away on Tuesday. My parents went to his funeral on Saturday & My mom said it was a very touching memorial. Standing room only. I know Danny was very loved. What stood out most was his extraordinary faith in Christ & his love for sharing that faith with others. What a great example of courage & kindness.

I have such amazing friends. My dear sweet friend Sally has donated a table runner to auction off & her friend has made some beautiful blankets to be auctioned off too. I plan on having two more auctions with these lovely donations to help out Danny's family. I know that the money earned will be helpful to them. I am always touched by the kindness of others. Thanks so much ladies for your talents & willingness to help out such a wonderful family. I'll be starting the first auction tomorrow. 

Quilt Auction for Daniel

Front of quilt

Back of Quilt

The baby quilt measures 39"x33.5"

I used my beloved fabric stash of American Jane for this little quilt. The back is one single panel of printed fabric even though it looks like little blocks of fabric. The binding is a fabric I found at JoAnn's.

Detail of the quilting. I drew lines with my tailors chalk that way I'd have a guide for when I quilted it. Then I used the two different free motion quilt stitches.

On the front I used some cream colored muslin & the last of my fabric squares of American Jane. I paired it with some black & white polka dot fabric. 

I've already washed it & it has such a yummy crinkle to it.

It's ready to find a new home. Could that new home be YOUR home? I sure hope so. I'm auctioning off this little quilt to help raise money for my friend Daniel. Please take a few minutes to read his profile. He's been sick for such a long time. Ever since I've known him he has been struggling with his health. He's one of the nicest guys I know & so very talented. The money earned will go to cover living costs during the surgery & his recovery. As you can imagine any chronic illness can take it's toll financially on a family. I'm asking for your help fellow friends & bloggers to spread the word. Let's raise some money to help Daniel.

 Please spread the word. I'd love to raise as much money as possible to help out my friend!

Here's how the auction will work

I'll open the bid with $35
The next person will bid $36 or how ever much you want & so on & so forth. Bidding will take place in the comment section of my blog. Make sure you look at the previous bid in the comment above yours so you can bid accordingly. The auction will end on Saturday June 9th at midnight (my time here in Reno) When the auction ends the winner of the quilt will pay directly to Daniel's fund & once you have sent me an email with confirmation of the payment I'll mail the quilt your way. If you have any questions please feel free to ask!

Happy bidding & thanks in advance for all your kindness in helping with such a worthy cause!


If you feel so inclined I'm adding a button you can use if you'd like to link back to this auction.

I'm also linking up to Amy's

Sew& Tell Friday

!!!UPDATE!!!

Auction is now closed! Thanks to all who were bidding.