quilting..done!

My quilting is done, hurray! Mistakes are there for sure but I am really happy that I did it. All trimmed and ready for binding.

Hope you have a fun weekend!

quilt along progress:: weeks 5 & 6

Well, I have started the free motion quilting on my old red barn co. quilt along and have made it to week 6. She has combined these 2 weeks to give us all time to get the quilting done, and I am going to need it (and then some!)
When I first started to quilt I panicked a bit and thought "oh no! stop now and send it off to a long arm quilter!" But I am carrying on and it is going better than I thought. My biggest issue is dealing with all that bulk in my machine and on my lap and falling over my sewing table! I am surprised how strenuous quilting is, I feel like my biceps are getting a workout as I hold it all together. I keep reminding myself to breathe and continually talk to myself as I go. Do I sound crazy yet? Probably.. but I am really loving this quilting thing and I am so glad I decided to give it a try. I know when it is all done I will be thrilled! If you are thinking about trying it yourself I totally recommend this quilt along. Dana has it all spelled out so nice and the flickr group is really great for support.
Soon I will have more to share as I finish the quilting and start the binding. Woo Hoo!

a day in a garden on the farm

For Father's Day we headed down the road a bit to one of our favorite places to run and play. The colors in the gardens were amazing, so alive and vibrant! Enjoy and Happy Monday to you!

tgif

First school got out...yeah!

Then we went to the beach for a week...ahh!

Then we came home

Then my boys started fighting, and fighting and not listening and generally driving me nuts (and each other)

Now I have a plan of attack.

We are off to the pool for the entire day. I don't even care how hot it gets.

Hope your weekend is good, in fact I hope mine is too. It can't get worse than the last 3 days ;)

Next week..camp!

quilt along week 4 1/2

Week 4 in the quilt along is a big one, the one where we actually quilt! So I am calling this 4 1/2 because I have to take a pause and breath before I move along. I have never really done any real quilting so again I find myself learning something new. I am practicing, practicing, and practicing some more. I don't usually showcase my crummy sewing on my blog, but I know there are a lot of people who are just like me and this free motion quilting step is new. It is not easy, it is still fun but it is a learning process! I am not entirely convinced that I will conquer my quilt with this and may still opt to do some straight line quilting instead. We shall see.
So far I have gotten some super tips online. In case you find that you could use these tips, here they are!
oh, fransson!
flickr discussion
dog named banjo tutorial
Old Red Barn Co. video

I have read a bunch on these posts and am getting a better idea of what I am supposed to be doing. I have found that the practice and getting the feel is really what it is all about. I used some old fabric to make a pretty good sized quilt sandwich and began there. I think I will do a few more. I have loads of mishaps and the back has some bad spots but it is not horrible for my first attempt.
Those of you that quilt and have bothered to read this whole post : is it horrible? Any other hints for the rest of us?

So the rest of week 4 is actually going to be full of completing my back, which I am piecing with strips from the front and pinning my quilt together to be ready for the real quilting!

hello to summer

Our last day of school turned right into our first summer trip to the beach. It was just lovely down there. Hot, but not too hot and the water was perfect. The kids all had a great time, swimming, fishing, playing....

Now we are officially on break and home again to enjoy our summer days.

I have a bunch of to dos on my sewing list as well. Now to just find the time to get them done with 3 kids hanging around! Week 5 of the quilt along is here and I need to get going. More on that soon..

Hope your summer is off to a good start too!

In almost 3 years I finally got them all to look and smile at the camera!

quilt along progress:: week 4

Week 4 of the quilt along is here and I am still chugging along. We have a really busy week with the last few days of school and the beginning of vacation, so I got the top sewn up pretty quickly one night to get it done and move on with all our family plans! I think it is coming along nicely. Still deciding on the back design as I have a bunch of strips I could use. It turned out to be 5 blocks across and 7 blocks down. A nice big size to snuggle under. And I love how much interest my kids are taking in the whole process. They keep asking lots of questions and have been excited watching it come together!

hi, it's me in my new top

I always want to sew things for myself but I can count on one finger, just one, the item in my closet that I made and that I wear. I am really particular about what I like and what fits me right.
So this weekend I ventured to make myself something for this summer, and my goodness, I like it. I even wore it today out in public! Yeah! After seeing this shirt on A Stitch in Dye blog, I found out the pattern: Simplicity 4589. I skipped on over to Hancock's and used some Amy Butler fabric to make it. It took just a couple hours and the pattern was pretty straight forward. I will certainly make it again. Maybe trying out some of the other versions. And 2 warnings: the pictures on the cover of the pattern are pretty dated and ugly, it is cooler than that and second: make sure you check the size and measurements on the pattern before you buy it. I normally wear a size 6/8 and I was a 14 in this pattern.
Also got some more work on my quilt done and will share that this week. Last 3 days of school coming up so we are all busy and excited in this house right now! Yeah for summer!

week 3 quilt along progress

strips sewn,pressed and ready to be cut into blocks

all of my blocks (36) cut, hopefully square!

and ready for week 4

I am still plugging along on the Old Red Barn Co. quilt along.It has been a learning process. I first started sewing when I was 17 in my high school home ec. class. Well, that has been a long time ago and have been sewing more on than off since then. There are lots of things I already know, but I am always looking to learn more about sewing. New techniques, new challenges because there is so much out there to learn.This quilt along is like that.
Here is what I have learned so far from the quilt along:
*Apparently measuring is very important, very important!
*Somehow a straight piece of fabric can have a curve in it when you sew the strips all together.
*This can be fixed.
*The ladies over on the quilt along flickr page rock. They will help you out a lot.
*Inviting a friend over for a "play date" can also mean: Please come look at this and tell me what you think!
*I love the fabric I chose.
*I can't wait to see the finished product
* I am nervous about the whole quilting part!
*I need to relax a bit about it!

*I am having fun doing something new and different
*Deadlines are a good thing for me, I am right on track
*Oh yeah, I am having fun too!

laying out the blocks to see what it will look like (sorry for the bad lighting, it was late!)

So if you were thinking of trying this out, I would recommend it. Even if you are late starting, it doesn't matter because all of the directions are on the site so you can go at your own pace if you choose or just catch up. It is very beginner quilter friendly.

party dress

I actually finished this dress a while back but just put it on her for the first time this week. I never use these colors and actually did these fabrics to just try this pattern and see how it went. This time I added the sash that is in the Claire pattern. It is so darn sweet and the big bow is adorable. Warning: apparently said bow hurts when you are in a car seat and must be retied each and every time you get out of the car. Noted.The fabrics are from Amy Butler's Midwest Modern line and I actually found them at Hancocks on sale a few months ago. Random.

It reminds me of a fun party dress with all the gathers and the bow of course too!