I need to be sewing!!

I really need to be sewing but I want to pop in really quick to say hello and Merry Christmas! I doubt I will have time to post again for awhile. I have been really busy since I got back from the east coast. I am trying to finish up some last minute Christmas gifts. I just finished an armchair caddy for my MIL and I am trying to finish quilting a small lap quilt for my FIL. They get here the day after Christmas. I forgot to take a picture of the caddy before I wrapped it but I do have a few pics to share. Here a couple of Christmas projects I finished.

The first one is hanging in my hall and the second one I made for my brother and his wife. These were made from a free pattern from the cross country blog hop.

My Aunt just opened an adorable little gift shop in Anderson, SC and I am going to start selling things there. This is my first attempt. This little pinwheel baby quilt is made out of chenille and cottons in blue, green, and yellows. After Christmas I will tell you a little bit more about Deb's and I'll be having my first giveaway!

Christmas in November

So I finally finished my last Christmas present for my family in SC! I even got them in the mail today! This quilt is for my dad. I know it looks like a kids quilt but he is still a kid at heart. :-) My dad has his pilots license and loves all things planes. He even flys model airplanes! So I thought this fabric was perfect for him! I stippled the entire quilt,the largest I've done yet, because he loved the quilting on my niece's quilt so much. I love the way it turned out and I know he is going to love it too! When I get back from SC I'll have two weeks to make a quilt and an armchair caddy for my in laws before they get here! Oh and I pieced the back of this quilt with leftover fabric from the front so here's a picture of the back!

Busy Bee

Things have been crazy at our house lately! There seems to always be something going on this time of year! We had a blast at all the festivals and trick-or-treating this year and we are looking forward to all the craft fairs going on between now and Christmas. When I find down time I am trying to finish up my handmade Christmas.




This a table topper I recently finished. It is made from a tranquility charm pack and I love it so much I put a sleeve on the back because I think it could be a wall hanging too! This fabric is just so pretty with all those rich colors,although they looked washed out in this photo. The tutorial is at www.aquiltinglife.blogspot.com

This table runner is also made from a charm pack using Rachel's disappearing nine patch tutorial. I got a little adventurous while quilting this and added a few free motion flowers with the stippling. I'm quilting a twin sized quilt right now and it is the biggest quilt I've ever quilted. Hopefully I have it finished soon!

Friendship Bag recieved

I am so excited! I recieved my friendship bag from the swap today! It came from Grazia in Italy(Italy, I am so excited I love Italy!)! It is very adorable and I love the fabrics she chose. The pink plaid cows are so me, I love them! And look at the other goodies she sent! I love the tissue cover and I can't wait to make something with fabric she sent. This swap was alot of fun, so glad I joined it!

Bloggers Quilt Festival

Amy over at http://parkcitygirl.blogspot.com/ is hosting a quilt festival for bloggers and I thought I would join in!

This is my all time favorite quilt! It may not be the most beautiful, but I still love it. I made this quilt for my husband, he is a navy submariner. I wanted to make him a sub quilt but couldn't find a pattern for one. I had only been quilting for a short time so I thought I needed a pattern. I collected all the blue fabric I could find for the water and made the stack and whack blocks. Then I fused the sub on, yes it has raw edges. It took me forever to figure out how to make the mariners compass blocks. They are a combination of piecing and applique. I was so excited when I took it to the quilter because it was the first quilt I had designed. When I get there to pick it up she asks me what that "large ugly black thing" on the quilt is suppose to be! I paided her good money to be insulted?! But on a happier note, I gave it to my husband for his birthday that year and he love it!

One of those things

Have you ever started a project and right from the start everything goes wrong. Thats what happened to me and these two dolls. I was so excited when I found this pattern at goodwill for 99c. It said that one of these dolls would take less than a day! Fantastic I thought, my daughter and niece will love these. So I pull out this fabric that I have had for years and start. First I trace the patterns onto freezer paper, that took me several hours but ok. Then I sew the dolls body and arms. My daughter and I start to stuff them and run out of stuffing before we finish the first one. The next day we go and get more stuffing and finish. Then I had to sew them all closed then sew arms and legs to dolls. Now we are on day 3! I finally start to sew the outfits. I start with the pants first, they seemed the easiest. Well I was mistaken. I have never really sewn clothes before so almost ever time I sewed a seam I had to pull it out and do it 'correctly'. The same thing with the dress and apron. Now a week later, remember I was thinking this was a day project, I attempt the hats. I call my mom on the webcam and have her walk me through it. The hat which I thought would be the hardest ended up not so bad. So now they are done and I don't think I will be making anymore for awhile. I am pretty happy with how they turned out though. My daughter loves hers and I'm sure my niece will too. Ok I think I'm done complaining :-).

Fun with bags

I joined the Friendship bag swap over at quilting gallery and have been making bags ever since! The small pink and blue was the first one I made and was quickly claimed by Baby Boo! I made the green one for the swap and hope she loves it as much as I do. The large pink and teal one I made for my sister-in-law to use as diaper bag, they have a baby due in December. The stripe fabric across the front is actually several pockets. These bags are so easy I think I'm going to make a few more. Off to the fabric store for supplies!

Getting ready for Christmas

I decided to make homemade Christmas gifts for my family this year. I am doing pretty good I think, but I have to have them done by Thanksgiving. I am going home, to the east coast, for Thanksgiving and want to take my gifts then.

I finished this apron for my grandma today. I am pretty happy with it, even if it is very pink. This is my first apron ever! I modified a pattern out of a fig tree book and I like the way it turned out.

I am going to make a few bags and quilt a few other things that I have made, including an adorable quilt for my dad. It is really fun thinking up gifts to make for my family and friends.

New Stuff

Wow, it has really been awhile since I last posted! We are finally settled into our new house in western WA! I finally got my sewing room set up so now I can work again. This is the first thing I've made since the move. It is one of my favorite quilts so far I think.

This a baby quilt for my new niece that is due the first of December. I used Racheal's easy disappearing nine-patch , from PS I Quilt, she has the best tutorials! The fabric for the blocks is Aviary by moda. The border fabric I pulled out of my stash. I used the most adorable birdie flannel for the back so Miss Katie will stay nice and warm!
Now I'm off to do a little more sewing! I'm thinking a cute little bag for a friend.

Fresh Petit Four

So let me just say that I love the moda bake shop! I want to make almost everything they put on there!! This is called Petit Fours and I made it out of moda's new Fresh line. I love it! This was my first attempt at FMQ and I think it turned out pretty good, and I had so much fun doing it. I have decided to try and FMQ all my small projects.
Well we leave to take Baby Boo to disney this weekend. I am so excited!! This is her first trip and she turns 3 while we are there. It's gonna be so much fun, both sets of her Grandparents are coming too! Pictures of Mickey coming soon!

Baby Pinwheels!!

Let me just say that http://www.modabakeshop.com/ is the greatest!! They have the cutest projects over there, you should check it out if you haven't already!

Ok so this is the baby pinwheel quilt from the moda bake shop! Isn't it adorable! Now these fabrics aren't moda but they are my favorite colors. I love the way it turned out. I'm not going to quilt it until I learn to stipple alittle better. I'm gonna make a couple table runners to practice on. I want this quilt to be a wallhanging although Baby Boo wants this quilt for her own. :-) We'll see who ends up with it.

Oh, I won a gift certificate from the Jan. FabShopHop. I ordered a fat quarter bundle of Micheal Miller fabrics. I got them the other day, aren't they fabulous. I love them all!! And the third one from the right looks alot like Vera Bradley's new design 'Purple Punch' , how cool!!

New Tablerunner

I have been so busy! I finally finished the dance costumes I've been working on, hooray for me!! I have also finished three quilt tops and am now addicted to charm pack projects on Moda Bake Shop. This is the first one I've finished. It's Camille's simple little runner. I used Moda's collections for a cause 'Traditions' and I really like the way it turned out. I'm working on the baby pinwheel quilt now. Aren't charm packs the greatest!

Check out this Giveaway!!

Just a quick post to let you know that Ginny at http://ginnysquilts.blogspot.com/ is having an awesome giveaway! For her birthday she is giving away a gift, and it is fabulous!! Check it out!

OP Progress

I have been super busy lately and I haven't had alot of time to sew. But I did get my OP top together. It's not finished, I plan on adding a scrappy border then a solid one, I want it big enough for my bed. I have to say that I am loving the way it is coming out. I have never set blocks on point before and I am loving it. It was super easy and looks great. I have always been a fan of on point blocks just afraid to try it. Glad I did!

frogs galore

So I am still sewing on my OP Challenge quilt but I did get something finished. I made this top about six months ago. It has been sitting in my grandma's basement waiting to get quilted. I spent about two weeks up there last week and made time to finally quilt it. I had every intention to try my hand at stippling, thus why it was at my grandma's(she has a very fantastic machine) but couldn't figure out how to do it :-( . So I just quilted it in the ditch, but I stilll love it. Baby Boo and I are fighting over who it belongs to. It is totally covered in frogs!! And the back is a yellow flannel that is also covered in frogs! BTW frogs are my favorite.

Just so you know...

So Judi over at http://www.greenfairyquilts.blogspot.com/ is giving away another of her fabulous quilted bags!! These bags are fantastic and I want one!! Check out her store too, she has the most adorable patterns!!

Done for the day!!

I am doing my first virtual retreat and it has been so much fun!! Pat Sloan has called this the OP(orange pile) challenge. We are experimenting in oranges, hooray! I love orange but haven't really used it in a quilt before. It's been a blast working with these oranges I found. It's kind of crazy looking but I like it! Can't wait to see what we are doing tomorrow, but now it's bedtime! :-)

Scrap Happy!

I am taking a break from my very productive day to show off my latest project. I made a sewing bag from the scraps I got from the mini-swap. I loved all the floral fabrics, and they look pretty great together! Now I have something other than a sandwhich bag to carry sewing supplies with me!! Hooray!

I am also working on dance costumes, there are now seven girls in our class. I can't wait for recital, they are going to be so cute!!

Lucky Me!

So I get back home from being out of town about two weeks and I find several packages waiting for me! How great is that. And my hubby had flowers for me and our daughter, what a sweetie!! So back to the packages. First I got my package from the mini swap I was in. It is so cute, scraps, some adorable buttons, and the cutest air fresheners. Thanks Tammy!

Then I got this great fishing lure fabric that I ordered off of ebay! It is gonna make the greatest catfish quilt for my father-in-law!

Then I got two new books from my craft club! I am so excited about the borders book. I also ordered a book from Pat Sloan, the middle one. Since I mentioned Pat let me tell you that I got my Arabella!

This fabric is just so pretty! I love it! I got the fat quarters and the kit and I can't wait to get started. That secret garden quilt is going to be beautiful and I think the fat quarters are destin to be a pinwheel quilt!!

Ok I'm done. I think I need to go up to my sewing room and get working on some new stuff. So much to do, so little time!

Oranges!!

So I finally got around to the quilt shop to buy some orange for Pat Sloan's vitual retreat! I am so excited. I haven't done one before but it seems like fun!! I can't believe I didn't have any orange in my stash. I love orange! I'm pretty happy with what I found. The piece on the bottom is only so-so but I love most of the rest. I think for my second color I'm gonna do teal. Yes teal and orange, I think it will be great!! These pics don't do it justice. These fabrics are great.

Quilt group

Ok. So I have been so busy fighting with my stubborn 2yr old this week that I haven't had alot of time to work on many projects. She has been in one heck of a mood lately, terrible twos are driving me nuts! Anyway. We went to a meeting of my quilt group the other day, love it it's like a playgroup for both of us, and our project this month was to make a quilt block out of an "ugly" fat quarter. Now the green homespun in the pic is suppose to be the ugly fabric but I like it, ok anyway. I decide to take the cottage block from Fredas Hive and make it my own. I redid the size, each block is now 12" and added the trees and ground. I liked it so much that I ended up making 5, one for the group and 4 for me. I plan to use them as corner blocks for a log cabin quilt. Sounds cute right. I think they turned out pretty good to have been done while fighting with my 2yr old about naptime.

Twin Stars with Charisma

Ok so I am in need of a handmade quilt for my bed. All the bed sized quilts I have made have been gifts for others. So I am finally making one for me! This is a peek at what it will look like. I'm using a charisma, by moda, jelly roll to make a twin star quilt.( Got the pattern from a jelly roll book.) I'm still deciding if I like it though. I probaly won't know until it is further along, this is all I have done so far. The jelly roll is beautiful though so how bad could it be? I can't wait to get it done. I plan to have it finished and quilted by the time we move to WA. We will probaly need all the quilts we can get there!

I love this fabric!

Ok I found this adorable fabric of ebay! I love it! The owls are so cute and colorful. To bad I couldn't get the picture turned, so it's sideways. I have also been participating in the Fab Shop Hop(found on stitchinheaven.com ). I found tons of fabric I want, to bad I can't buy it all. But I do plan on adding to my stash :-).

The Kitty quilt top is almost done. I just need to add a solid border and it will be a full sized quilt. Baby Boo will soon have a handmade quilt for her bed!! Well once I find someone to quilt it anyway. Hooray, almost done with my first quilt of 2009!

Pics as promised

So here are a couple of pics of the new Kitty Quilt. Baby Boo loves it already! It is so busy, you can't even really see the pinwheels but I still think it's gonna be cute. I already have the solid border on it and I'm working on the strips for the sides and flying geese for the ends. I think I'm gonna like it, but I know she loves it! I have been ignoring chores for a while so I'm gonna do that for the rest of the day. Fun, fun... Doesn't everyone just love laundry :)

How cute!

So how cute is this skirt! I love how Baby Boo's bandanna skirt turned out! I made this in between sewing her "Kitty Quilt", pics of that later. She loves it too and wants to wear it all the time! I am gonna make one for my niece now, I hope she will love it also.

So Baby Boo's "Kitty Quilt" is a work in progress but should be very cute. Baby Boo found some adorable kitty fabric that she had to have! So we are making a new quilt. I used the patience corner block for the center and I'm putting strips and flying geese for a border. My next post will be pics of said work in progress.

Block one

Ok so Anne from Bunny Tales is doing an awesome free BOM on her blog. It's baskets and already so cute.

DSCN0053
Originally uploaded by jabeybaby

So here's Block one from Bunny Tales mystery BOM. I think it turned out great. I decided to go country on mine. I like how the black blanket stitch looks on everything. I can't wait to see what the next block will look like!

Game night

So we had game night with Baby Boo. We played a very interesting game of Cootie. Ever play a game with a two year old? Then you know that rules don't matter. So basically we just radomly built all four cootie bugs. But hey we had fun, Baby Boo loves her new game, so thats what counts right. I think our bugs turned out pretty cute too. Then we tried to play Memory. Two year olds just don't have the patience to play a game like that, atleast mine doesn't. But she seems to enjoy looking at the cards so maybe soon she play fair. Either way it's still fun to play with her no matter how much she cheats. Game nights are always interesting!

My First Blog

So for my first blog I decided to show my most recent project. I made paintbrush rolls for my Aunt and Grandma. I think they turned out great and I'm sure that they will love them. (Both my Aunt and Grandma love to paint, both do oils and watercolor.) These things are so easy, I finished both in just a couple hours. I love doing these fast and easy projects, it feels like I am actually accomplishing something.