Thursday, October 25, 2012

Getting Things Done...Kinda


Orange Wonky Wedge Quilt
On Tuesday I was whining to my husband that I "never get anything done."  He pointed out all of the things that I had gotten done that morning and reminded me that when our first child was this old I was lucky to get dressed by dinner time - sad, but oh so true.

And I had had a fairly productive morning - I even listened to the presidential debate while feeding the baby and making lunches (was it just me or was it pretty lame?).  I realized that when I said, "I never get anything done" I really was saying, "I haven't had any time to sew and I am stressed that I won't be able to finish the two quilts that I want to enter in the QuiltCon Show and the deadline is November 1st!!  Augh!!"

Neutral Prism Quilt
(Oops....I paused here in the writing process to load some pictures and put the kids in the bathtub and while the pictures were loading, I browsed the QuiltCon site and saw that the entry deadline is Nov. 30.  So no worries, although I would like to get the quilts finished and move on to other things.  Plus I just like to sew and regular sewing time is always a good thing, right?  And now that I know the date is farther away maybe I could finish a third quilt?  Got to make my life stressful, right?  Are you planning to go to QuiltCon?)

Anyway...the original point of this story was that we all get things done, they just might not be what we want to get done or they might not get done as fast as we would like, or they may have to be done over and over again (like dishes) but that is the human condition.  It is just a fact of life that work comes before quilting - so sad but so true.  

And yeah, I know I will miss these times with my little ones when they are all grown up and I have more sewing time.  But right now I keep telling Becca-Babe that I need her to print me out a daily schedule of nap/fussy times so I can plan my life/naps/sewing around her better.  But so far she hasn't provided me with one.  Sigh...a girl can dream, right.  :)

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Skill Builder Sampler Roundup!



Yea!!!  I finally finished sewing my We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler blocks together!!  I love how they look!  I love all of the things that I have learned doing this sampler!  I can't believe that just a year ago I had never tried paper piecing, or inset seams and that I was scared of templates and curved piecing!  I still don't like tracing templates and cutting fabric without my rotary cutter but now I know it isn't impossible.  :)


I decided to sew my blocks together into three different quilts for my three girls that share a room.  (Got to have matching quilts, right?)  Aleah really liked the star blocks, so I pulled all the blocks that had a star feel for her.  Thankfully, Colleen was enamored with the flower and butterfly blocks, so she got them.  Her quilt has a more cohesive/matchy feel, but I like them both.

I put my very favorite stars in the middle of Aleah's quilt.  They aren't perfect but man do I like them and am quite proud of the learning and effort that went into making them.

I love the look of applique blocks on this quilt and am sure to be doing more of it in the future too!  Practice makes perfect.

I pulled some of my favorite blocks from the group to make Kate's little quilt.  I really like how this group looks together!  We made so many fun blocks this year!

And now I proudly present the beautiful work of those who participated long term in the Skill Builder Sampler!!!

(Disclaimer:  Not all of the pictures on flickr would let me copy them and I am brain dead from lack of regular sleep, so if your quilt or blocks are not in the mosaic, please forgive me and send me a link to where I can find them and I will add them to the post.)

1. It's Christmas time!, 2. Skill builder Sampler quilt, 3. Skill Builder Sampler, 4. Red and White quilt blocks, 5. skill builder front #2 (7 blocks on back), 6. Skill Builder Quilt Top in progress, 7. skill builder quilt, 8. Skill builder - all done, 9. so far, 10. Skill Builder Sampler 1-18, 11. SBS QAL, 12. DSCN3759, 13. Skill Builder Quilt #2, 14. Skill Builder Sampler Blocks - FINISHED!, 15. All 36 SBS Blocks!, 16. P1030340, 17. DSC_0117, 18. Blocks 1-36, 19. we can do it - skill builder sampler, 20. Skill Builder Quilt #1

I cannot say enough about the beauty and skill represented by these quilts and blocks!   All of the color combos, sashing options and quilting just blow me away.  Please follow the links or pop over to the Skill Builder Sampler Flickr Group and give these ladies some love!  They deserve it!!!  Here are some close ups of finished full sized tops:

Skill builder Sampler quilt
Tanya's - Whenever I saw her blocks I would think, "I really like those colors and fabric...oh wait, we are using the same line of fabric that's why!"  Great minds think alike!  Look at the tiny pieced sashing!  I can't even imagine piecing all of that!  The girl's got skills!

Skill builder - all done
Cassie's-  I love this color combo too!  Consistently beautiful blocks - I love how the quilting makes it all crinkly and ready to cuddle up with.

SBS QAL 
Vanessa's was finished and hand quilted before anyone had even sewn all of their blocks together!  Bee-you-ti-ful!!  It looks like spring!

Skill Builder Sampler
Marlene ran with the We Can Do It! theme for her beautiful quilt.  I love the center panel and We-Can-Do-It colors!  The rivets around the edge are awesome.  What a great reminder of this year of sewing and learning!


Thank you to everyone who participated in the Sampler!  I would never have kept it up and learned all that I did if you weren't following along.  If you are just discovering the We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler, please keep making the blocks and posting them to the flickr page!  I will keep checking in and will highlight Skill Builder progress here.  

For those who made all (or almost all) of the blocks but who haven't put them together into a quilt -- get going!  ;)  It makes me feel guilty, knowing that I am leaving you with a stack of blocks cluttering up your sewing area.  Sew it up and show it off to friends and family this holiday season!

Again, Thank You! Thank You!  Thank You! for your support!  
And remember, WE CAN DO IT!

Friday, October 5, 2012

What We Have Been Doing

Quilt by Vanessa Christensen.  Tutorial and picture found at Moda Bake Shop.
Not my baby or quilt, but this is what we have been doing around here lately.  I would probably replace "play" with "fuss/be held" but that wouldn't look as cute on a quilt.

Baby Becca is growing, thriving, learning how to sleep at night and generally being a good baby.  But she is still a baby and I had somehow forgotten how much holding, feeding and changing babies require...especially at night.  Eek.

I did my first bit of sewing on the sewing machine today since she was born and it felt really good.  I should be able to finish up my Skill Builder Sampler quilt tomorrow and will post pictures of all the finished quilts --- if the baby/children cooperate.  Have a great weekend!!