WIPs from 2011

** I'm going through some old drafts and either deleting or publishing them :)


So with the quilt finished I'm starting on some other projects. Grace asked me when I was going to make her Christmas Rudolph apron. I had put it off because she already has a cute Christmas apron, but she asked and I miss her being gone, so I started it. I had cut out 2 blue jean little girls aprons, so I wanted to use the Rudolph material for the front and back it with the denim, but that was before the big craft-room clean up, so it's lost somewhere. So I used some plain blue from an estate sale. I'm doing it differently that I have before, but I think it will turn out ok.

Then I thought that a crochet needle holder would be a good gift for a few friends and relatives, so I took a crayon roll tutorial from Prudent Baby and am modifying it to make the pockets bigger. I've already cut 1 with coordinating fabrics. I haven't decided about the other yet. It's a new thing, so I'm not sure how well it will turn out. The patterned material is from a skirt that was too big but I loved the material. The blues are pretty with it.    

Tagged post from 2012

Oldies

Jessica tagged me. 

   1. Post these rules. OK

2. You must post 11 random things yourself. OK
3. Answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post. OK
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer. I don't have blog friends, really, so the tag stops with me :(

11 things about me:

I'm having a minor freakout in my head about not having a name for this child. Sophy? Amelia? Sara? Nothing sounds right. Nothing feels right. Minor freak out. 

2. My journal for my class today was 5 things to do on your next birthday. Mine are to ditch the kids, sew all day, party all night. It'll be September. I'll be ready.

3. I've lived in 5 cities in my life.

4. 

1. What is your most played song on your iPod? (or if you don't have an iPod, that one song you listen to over and over and over)
2. I listen to audiobooks. William Gibson
3. What's your least favorite thing about yourself? Negative attitude
4. What is your favorite smell? Pizza
5. Do you dream or have nightmares? Weird dreams
6. What is your "go to" healthy snack? beef jerky
7. Are you a morning person or a night owl? morning person
8. Do you lock your doors? Yes
9. In which store would you max out your credit cards? Jo-Ann's
10. What is the best/worst job you've ever had?  best - teaching; worst - delivering phonebooks
11. What is the one TV program you can't live without? Bizarre foods
12. Can you function without coffee? No

The Rules 

Humid Christmas

Christmas gifts from people who know us

His and hers mugs

House redo

My friend Joyce always offers new perspectives on things and I invited her over before lunch the other day to give me some ideas on Grace's room. She did allot more than that and we may have a new look by the time summer rolls along.  The girls have been at my mom's for a few days and we got busy.  We clean out their rooms about twice a year and they were messy to begin with.  Between their rooms (not even finished) and ours,  we got rid of 3 trash bags of trash and 2 for donations.  Lots more to do.  Millie's room- get rid of baby bed and change table, over the door shoe hanger in closet. Bins on top shelf of closet, use the corner shelf as her desk and get a taller chair.
Grace's room- over the door shoe organizer for craft and doll stuff, angle the bed, rearrange.
Our room- stack the bookshelves and put the tv in the top,  put books in top of scott's closet, make a sitting area, console table or buffet along side wall, paint walls and rearrange wall hangings.

Whew. Sounds like a lot of work  ;)

Star wars Rogue One

Scott won tickets to see the movie at a city movie showing this fall, so we scheduled it for the Christmas holidays. My last-minute idea was for Scott and I to wear matching Star Wars onesies, but Walmart didn't have any. Grace and I found these ugly Christmas sweaters instead. Too bad it's 70 degrees today :(

Friends and kids party

This boy wanted to open that present for 2 hours. 

My haul

With the boys

Newest addition

All PJ'ed up for 70 degree weather. 

Every year my sister and her friends have gotten together for the holiday season. It used to be a friends party, but now it's a friends and kids party.  It was a big deal to me when I was finally brought into the friends group,  complete with my "friends" Brighton bracelet. 
Finally the last of us had a baby, but he doesn't like people,  unfortunately.  But I think it was our best one yet.  Lots of kid fun.  Lots of baby cuddles. 

Grace's annual winter blast

Sunday was Grace's annual friends party. Her friends Cleah, Emma and Charisma came. Emma's mom stayed to help. My mom came to help the girls paint an ornament. They could make a nativity, gingerbread house or a moose. Ginny was a little overwhelmed. She snarled and snapped at some kids who didn't listen.
They roasted weinnies and made smores. Scott was super dad, for sure. The girls had a great time, but I'm finding that I don't like people in my house.  Grace was a total brat leading up to the event because she didn't want to clean. She was grounded for a few days afterward.

Edited: Her friend's brother died a few days after this, so we're giving her a break to grieve. One of these girls lost her 18-year-old brother to a quick, unexpected illness. God bless us all. 

Church Christmas parties

Sunday was a busy day for us. First we had a congregational Christmas potluck party. It was really nice. It was a joint party with the Hispanic church that shares our campus.  We did crafts and sang songs. And ate - ate great food. They did a cute present game with the kids and they had good gifts.

Then Grace had her annual party, which was a bit of a nightmare. She ended up grounded for several days.

Our women's group had our potluck on Monday. We always do a stealing gift game and we came home with a beautiful sculpture of carolers, a fluffy snowman and a bucket with sugar cookie mix and a snowflake cookie cutter.

The girls were super good and it was fun. 

More Christmas fun to come!

Christmas presents

I had an idea during the summer to give Kimberbell pillow forms and pillows to people for Christmas. It's my favorite kind of sewing - assembly line style. I started this summer gathering the fabrics, cutting and assembling. I ended up with 5 long ones and 5 short ones. I think they turned out really well.

The big ones went to my sister and our group of friends. The smaller ones I'm not sure. Something will come up. 

Family and Cousin pictures

We did our family pictures this year at a pumpkin patch. We had never done that before. They turned out well, but I had to take the pics and have them enlarged to put them on the wall. The lady we used wasn't knowledgeable. My mom wanted my sister and me to have pictures of the kids done again, so we did that. It was an event for Scott and me to go shopping for their clothes. They all turned out well too. They both looked like models, Millie especially. 

My trip to International Quilt Festival in Houston Part I

It was great, of course. I got up and left super early and I'm glad I did because there was a bad wreck on the way. I got there in plenty of time, but it was a close call for panic-y me. Of course there's construction all around the George R. Brown convention center.
The first class was a free motion quilting class. It was very fun. When we got there, the machines were already set up and ready to go. Of course, the dealers are trying to sell you the machines at a low, discounted price, which is still close to $1000. Nice machines, of course, but nothing too special. The lady was great, but talked a lot before we got started. It was annoying because she also gave us a packet that explained what she was talking about, so you could just read the packet.
The class was a lot of fun. What she said that rang the most true is that no class or technique is going to take the place of you, at your machine, practicing. That's one of the reasons I love sewing - it's a skill that I can and do get better at.

We had to bring quilt sandwiches to practice on. Really fun stuff. 

General craftiness

I'm making a whole stack of these for Christmas gifts. I started this summer. I have all of the materials - fabric for pillow cases and fiberfill for the pillows. I just haven't finished them. Sometimes my FMQ isn't working, so I have to either come back later or figure out something else. I spiraled the wreaths and may do a square spiral on the outsides. Not sure. I have some time. Once that part is done, there's not a lot left to do to finish it. Just work. I think they'll be well-received, and since it's a Kimberbell, I can make new covers for the pillows every year. Yah!

I love to sew. I think I love sewing more than almost anything else I've ever gotten into. My biggest issues are the mental energy left at the end of the day and the mess in my sewing room. It's also the girls play room and the laundry room, so just getting in there is a chore, no matter how many times I ask for it to be cleaned up. It's not my mess. If it were up to me, I would chuck everything in the garbage can and just buy new socks. But it's not and it's stressful. But I love sewing! 

My Quilt guild name tag

A row - this one is from Missouri. There is a boy in Grace's grade that I had both of his older siblings in class and she brought this back for me. I'm working on a mirror image for her, but sometimes my zig zagger doesn't work like I want it to.

Part of a row

Another row from a friend

Another row

I made little tissue holders and put snacks in them for my colleagues for back to school.

I made a iron caddy. This took some doing and required some special materials. I don't know that I'll make another one, though I do have the materials. I made one for my friend Rebecca in Nightmare Before Christmas theme. 

A row I made that a friend gave me, then I made a table runner for her birthday. It was well-received. 

My square for the round robin my quilt guild is doing. I'm sure I'll post more on that. But isn't it cute! I can't wait to see what becomes of it!