Quitter: This Time I REALLY Mean It - I Think

Sometime at the beginning of the year I cut out these fabric strips in hopes that I would make a table runner for my formal dining room.

I keep meaning to tell you that I finished it!

It had been on my queue for so long and truthfully, I was procrastinating.

I enjoy making the quilt tops but I have never had a quilt-binding process come out successfully. Or at least, I had never done binding without a great deal of cussing.

My friend (and talented quilter) came over for lunch and (wanting desperately to finish) I asked her to help me. So she WILLINGLY showed me how to do this process the right way. Which included learning how to pin things together correctly. This required being on the floor kneeling over all the fabric and batting.

Did I mention my friend was nine-months pregnant? I felt slightly guilty about that... obviously guilt is not a good motivator in my life for doing the right thing. Especially when it comes to completing sewing projects.

However, now when I look at this table-runner I have happy memories of our time together...so I guess it's a win-win situation - especially for me.

After this project I had decided that I wasn't gifted in the arena of quilt making and that I was officially going to be a quilt quitter. 

Actually I say that after all the quilts I make, and I've made a few wonky looking blankets that are kind of like ugly-ducklings: Loved for their charm and the work put into them, not so much for the outward appearance. 

But now that I know how to bind them correctly (and I have a new walking-foot for my machine) I'm gonna try again.

Exhibit A:

These are Log Cabin blocks.

I have a baggillion scraps from various projects so my hope is to make a scrap-quilt. These blocks are SUPER easy. Here is a great tutorial if you are interested.

I made a practice one (the pink), And then I made another one in browns/greens. I think I will dig through the stash boxes and see what I can come up with... Anyone interested in doing a Log Cabin Quilt over the summer? We could slowly and surely work on it and then have a day (in the fall) when we all reveal our new quilts?

All righty! I've GOT to hit the elliptical this morning. I have continued to eat like I am on vacation since my trip to NYC three weeks ago. If I don't stop I am going to have to quilt myself a new pair of jeans, because the ones I put on yesterday were so-very-tight that I ended up wearing lounge-pants all day.  

Eating sensibly'll have to wait until after lunch though... I've got company coming for lunch, and it is my duty as a hospitable southern woman to serve BALT's (bacon/avocado/lettuce/tomato/sandwiches) without worries of the waistline.

(Oh, and also, there will be homemade cookies. I am not sure which kind of homemade cookie - but I'm leaning toward these: Click here.)

....jeans shmeans.

Happiest of Fridays to you!

Weekend Report

I know you are just dying to know how I spent my weekend....

So I'll tell you.

Actually, I'll just tell you the fun parts, because you probably folded five loads of laundry too. I won't bore you with the finer details.

On Friday night The Girl and I started cutting, gluing, and organizing the lapbooks she will be doing for school this year. There are four of them (one for each semester) and they come as stacks of paper (as seen in the top of the picture) and you cut, fold and paste to make what shown in the bottom of the picture.

(I swiped this photo from Homeschool Creations...Hello Jolanthe!)

I've learned that if I suggest watching a movie marathon she will work at just about anything (even folding towels!) It was TOTALLY worth watching all three High School Musicals (again) this weekend to have this project (and the laundry) knocked out. It took us about  an hour and 15 minutes/lapbook, but it would have taken much, much, longer had we done it alone. 

I also made these:

I have several friends having babies right now. I've have been wanting to try my hand at these burb-cloths for awhile...I think I'm hooked. These are great one-hour projects.

I also made some good progress in my winter afghan, putting on about 5 rows.

And I tried to make a crochet flower necklace using this recipe: 

Would you wear this? I liked it immediately when I saw it on the model. But when I put it on....I thought "It's cute, but I'd never wear it." I felt exactly how I do when I am trying on jeans... or bathing suits.

However, I'm not a huge accessories girl. I mean I like them, but I never actually wear them.

Do you know how hard it is to take a picture of your neck 

when a gully-washing, lightening-striking storm is overhead 

and your house is completely dark? 

And the piece de resistance of the weekend.....

Do you remember this?

About two months ago I used paint-stripper and elbow grease and perhaps a few expletives and got it cleaned up. Then The Mister sanded it and did a few repairs.

This weekend, The Girl and I slapped some primer on it, and then I started the painting process.

By Sunday afternoon it was ready for delivery and set-up.

I love the way it turned out. More importantly, The Girl loves it too.

So that is the very-long story (although I did spare details) of my weekend. 

Put Down the Duckie

I've realized something about myself.

I may be addicted to hobbies.

Case in point: Since I already blog, sew, embroider, run, bake, play guitar, fold paper, bead, scrapbook and craft, I thought I might add knitting.

On the first of December I had a new friend over for a late night sewing session over the embroidery machine and a glass of wine.

She needed to monogram a few baby blankets on Clinton the Embroidery Machine and I wanted her to teach me the basics of knitting. After all, she is the Knitting Evangelist.

Anyway, she taught me the knit and the purl stitch on needles she brought from home and I was immediately hooked.

So much so that the next day, unable to get to the craft store, I took out mechanical pencils, with the lead push in, and began to practice what she taught me.

I wish I had taken a picture. Because while I was practicing my knit/purl skillz, pencils aren't really meant to be needles.

Soon I was able to get my hands on some needles of my own. After many attmepts I finally got my kitting groove, and now I am unstoppable.

Did you know that you can find all sorts of videos on YouTube that will show you EXACTLY how to knit? It's amazing.

Anyway, last night I stayed up way too late learning a new way to cast on, called a long-tail cast on, and then I learned how to make what will eventually be a flower.

I already have my heart set on making these. In time, but hopefully in time for spring. I've always had a thing for chickens.

However, today I have to put down the needles--bunny trail: now I am singing Put Down the Ducky if You Want to Play the Saxaphone...a song I sing often to my kids (and myself) when I need to walk away from something in order to accomplish something else.

My goals for today are to do my laundry, make sure the kids fold their laundry, and the help The Girl clean out her room--from floor to closet and all places in between.

...Put down the needles! Put down the needles! Put down the needles, if you want to have a tidy hooooommmmmeeee!!!!...Put down the needles, Put! Down! The! Needles!..... put down the needles if you want to have a tidy home........(music fades out...)


Happy Wednesday!

We're Working...We're Working

I can't remember the last time I was blogless for so long!

Although my hands have not touched a keyboard in four days, they have not been idle.

I've been making gifts for my nieces and nephews.

In case you happen to be one of those precious kiddos, go do something else....this post isn't for you.

I've made handbags:

And pencil holders:

And tool belts:

Oh, and here's a peek of the special order by a sweet blogger friend: Mother/Daughter Aprons. They are unfinished in this picture, I'll have to post the finished product when I have better light! They are on the way Chel!

Here's a special order applique scarf for a girl who just begged me to make her one.

Ok, Ok....I'll confess, I made that for myself. However, I did it because as soon as some fabric arrives in the mail I am going to make a couple more scarves for gifts....so I needed to be sure it was gonna look all right.

Anyway, the blog may be a little quiet for the next week or so, until I can get caught up on life.

But, can I ask a GIGANTIC favor.....

It's huge, I'll warn you.

My sweet-in-real-life friend (turned blogger) Marie is in the hospital today, and will likely be there until the weekend. It would mean so much to me if you could go over to this post and give her some encouragement, or a funny story, or just let her know that you have said a little prayer for her. If you only have time for one comment today, forego commenting here and go say hello over there...you can tell her I sent you.

I am hoping that we might load her comment box up and lift her spirits!

Happy Thursday!

Checking In

I've been a bit preoccupied this week.

First, The Boy has been sick since Sunday. I thought it was just a head cold because it started with just a mild sore throat, but no fever. Then yesterday he woke up with a cough and lots of congestion. Still, no fever.

Today, the fever has come.

I'm praying no body else catches our bug.

Second, my embroidery machine arrived on Monday! Which is why it has been quiet here for the last 48 hours. I have been taking my free moments throughout the day to learn this new machine.

Oh! He's magnificent. He's a Brother and I am just loving all the things he can do.

I'm also thinking about a name for him...because I'm weird like that.  I'm leaning toward Gretchen's suggestion of Clinton, after Clinton Kelly of What Not To Wear fame. I loved this idea because I think Clinton is a cutie. He helps people with a bland sense of fashion to see their full potential. I think that's exactly what my Brother is going to do...only with fabric.

Here are few little "practice" things I have done:

Third, a conversation with The Boy:


Boy: Mom, how come I have to do school if I'm sick?

LVCG: Because that's the beauty of homeschool. You don't have to get behind when you're sick. You can still read all that stuff in the comfort of your bed.

Boy: Ya, but I was thinking it would make me feel better if I didn't have to do school.

LVCG: Nope, you don't get to skip school. You can rest just as easily while reading your history as you can watching TV.

(Long silence)

Boy: Mom, are you saying you never played hooker in school?

LVCG: WHAT?????!!!!!

Hooky.

He meant hooky.

Um, no, I never played hooky in school.

Very much.

Happy Wednesday!

Chuppah Hoopla!

There is nothing better than a Friday, after a busy week.

Unless that Friday includes a a date with The Carpool Queen.

Today, I am buying the first round of coffee, because I'm celebrating!

The chuppah (pronounced hoopa) I was "commissioned" to sew is complete!!!

(lets all breathe a sigh of relief)

As the mother-of-the-bride (Melinda) and I sat on the floor admiring it last night, she said, "Well, we prayed at the beginning of this project, so lets pray at the end too."

So we did.

And I couldn't pray out loud because I was brimming with emotion. Not because this labor of love was completed, but what the chuppah represents: the home, the very life, this couple will build together.
It overwhelms me (in a good way) to think about it.

I have to admit, I was a teensy-bit sad last night.

When we boxed up the chuppah and she placed it in the car I felt an odd mix of happy relief, divine success, and weepiness.

This project was hard. The most difficult sewing project I have ever done (and had to finish).

Not because it tested my talents, ability and knowledge of sewing (because it did!), but because emotionally, it was difficult.

This project tested my heart.

I was cutting up and sewing together family owned, heirloom materials; piecing together someone else's vision. I wanted to be as close to that vision as possible.

I wanted it to be beautiful. As I cut up Melinda's wedding gown I had some serious doubts!

I wanted it to be made well enough to last the test of time; to become a legacy this young couple can pass to the generations to come.

I did not want Melinda to regret asking for my help. I kept thinking that she would soon figure out that I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing.

I didn't want it to be perfect. I wanted it to be right.

There came a point after all the hand embroidery was finished that I needed advice (and encouragement). Melinda and our friend Vicky came over to give some advice. Vicky was literally, a God-send, and I learned some skills from her that helped us overcome the challenges.

This chuppah has become such a blessing, and truly, the making of it represents everything I love about marriage: Two people, from different tapestries of life, working hard, wanting to build something that will stand the test of time; building on a common vision.

There are places in marriage when we need encouragement to face the struggles and insecurities that will inevitably come.

And yet, if we persevere, there are days when we get to look at what we've built with sweat and tears, and the hand of God, and we realize it was worth the effort...that it isn't perfect, but it is right.

What an honor to have been a part of this project, this wedding, this beautiful story...

So now I will celebrate...and get ready for my next project.

The Mister has bought me an early birthday present. It arrives on Monday.

For those of you who guessed an embroidery machine, you are correct!

To say I am excited doesn't really describe what I am feeling. I already know what my first project will be...its a present for a certain sister-in-love, who took care of my children while I went to spend some time with the Island Girls on Whidbey Island this summer. Cannot wait to start!

All right, I cannot keep the CPQ waiting!

Happy Friday!

PS: The picture was taken at night, and doesn't really give a good view of the detail. But it gives you a glimpse!

Good Morning Bloggerville

I've had a difficult time getting on the computer this week.  

I have a large sewing project I have been working on. My friend's daughter is getting married in October and I am elbow deep in the making of a chuppah.

This project has been fun, but also very challenging. 

This chuppah will be made of 100% family fabric. The only materials that are "new" is the purple embroidery floss and the light weight fusible webbing that I have had to add to the back of the satin where I am using embroidery. (Apparently 40 year old satin thinks it should shred when you run a needle an floss through it hundred times. )

The crocheted blanket was made years ago by one of the grandmothers; the satin is the mother-of-the-bride's 40 year old wedding dress. (The first picture is of the dress before I cut into it. The satin border on the crocheted blanket is what it looks like now.) 

The paper-pieced quilted hexagon is made from the brides favorite childhood Holly Hobbie bed sheets. As soon as I get the groom's favorite baby blanket, his quilted piece will be ready too. 

I have been prayerful, as I hack into fabrics that are family heirlooms, that I can put them back together in some sort of fashion that this family can be proud of...only when I spend too much time thinking about it do I feel the pressure....so let's move on.

Remember that little tomato in my garden I wrote about it about before our trip to AZ.

He didn't ripen until after we got home...

He was beautiful,

 ...and oh-so-delicious.

Now we wait on the ripening of these babies....

A few mornings ago, after The Boy had watered our garden, he ran inside, grabbed my camera, and said he needed to "assuage his inner photographer." He wanted to capture the new crop. I was so amazed by his photog skillz that I thought I would share them. 

This week has been FULL. The Mister has been on-call all week, and will be all weekend. As a result he's been working weird hours and long days, and receiving middle-of-the-night phone calls. 

This week has also carried a huge lesson in the power of prayer.

I want to write about it, but I'm going to wait another week or so before I share...I do feel the need to say this:

God cares about the littlest of things in our lives. He is invested in the minutia of our day to day lives, as much as the "big" things that plague us. 

He will work in mysterious ways.

From weddings to tomatoes, God is in the details. What ever it is that you are praying for, it is important to Him. 

Just wanted you to know...

Happy Weekend!

Because I Can hardly Contain My Joy

Meet Joy, the Maltese puppy.

In this picture she is only 2.5 weeks old. She's older now, but this is the most recent picture we have of her.

She will be coming to live with us on Christmas Eve...

As a surprise gift to The Girl.

I am so excited about this new addition to the family that I have had trouble sleeping at night. Which is just as well since I will probably be spending the next 6 months getting up to take her outside in the middle of the cold Carolina nights.

Last night, my friend K2 and I, went Christmas shopping to find all the assorted puppy items that one needs: a crate, puppy toys, dog dishes, puppy shampoo, a collar and a leash.

I was on an all-out hunt for a pink collar and leash. 

More ashamedly, a pink collar and leash that I plan to tastefully bedazzle with some beautiful rhinestones. 

Yes, I own a Bedazzler.

I am also in the process of sewing up a puppy bed, and matching little girl/doggy capes. Pictures to come.

Y'all, I may have lost my mind. 

But it's sure is fun!

Apron

I made an apron this week that turned out so feminine and beautiful. 

A friend of mine,  NC Mama, celebrated her birthday this week. She is a tiny southern woman with a huge heart and a gift for hospitality. 

She needed a La Vida Apron.

It's funny. I have spent the better part of three years making and giving away aprons in various styles and colors, but I don't have many myself. I have two that I use all year long. And I have a couple of seasonal ones I use at Thanksgiving and Valentines.

It's very rare when I make something I contemplate keeping.

This was the first. 

I just loved the pale colors of pink and mint. And it's totally reversible. Here is the reverse side.

(Do you like the annoyed look on my face? I was trying to get my pint sized photographer to get a photo without all that crazy unkempt hair! However, her tiny hands cannot hold the heavy camera without shaking, so this in the only one that isn't blurry.)

I did make a mistake on the straps at the shoulders, but I was able to fix it without it looking too horrible. Although I did seriously contemplate starting over and keeping this "mistake".

In the end, I was able to part with it. There was far more joy in watching NC Mama open it up and put it on. It looked amazing on her.

So now I am ready to tackle another project. Oh, the possibilities.....

La Vida Dulce!

Why People Like Me Should Just Buy From The Pottery Barn

I started this project last week.

Since I am trying to sew in small increments throughout the day, this little project took a bit longer than I had first thought. 

However, it had been all laid out on the floor for several days just waiting for me to sew the finished squares to the double fold bias I had oh-so-cleverly made with a special tool I found last year. How's that for a run on sentance?

Not only have I looked at the layout all week, but The Mister and both kiddos had looked at it too. 

After finishing up the sewing I immediately went outside and hung it up in several trees out side. I looked and looked at that thing about 20 different ways.

It was only until I sat down right this very moment to brag on myself post about it that I saw my mistake:

I am not Giving Thanks, but Giving Thakns.

Y'all, if it wasn't so stinking funny and TOTALLY something I do all too often, I might be tempted to feel sorry for myself!

Anyway, I am off to rip the 'k' and 'n' and put 'em where they belong, in the meantime, would you let me know what you are Giving Thakns for today?

La Vida Dulce!

True-ism: Fear and Wonder - Psalm 139:14

Psalm 139:14 (NIV)

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

True-ism: 

You are fearfully and wonderfully made. So stop being so fearful and express some wonder at how incredible God made you.

~~~~~~~

 

  

This is a quilt I just finished for a new baby named Alexandra.

She was actually born in the spring but because of scheduled projects and time constraints I procrastinated.

Actually, I had an idea in my head as to what I wanted to do for little Alexandra, but fear stopped me. I had all the material (scraps from previous projects), but the idea of an actual quilt held me back. What if the final project doesn't turn out the way it appears in my head? What if I can't get all those little squares to line up perfectly? What if...?

I think that it was God's providence that I was to create this quilt this week as I contemplated Fear and Wonder and Psalm 139:14. 

I thought about how easy it is to have fear and wonder around the event that is childbearing and babies. Just getting pregnant is an act of God! The whole reproductive process that takes place within the womb is wonderfully and fearfully creative! 

After nine months a sweet child is born. This child is the very face of hope! Who will she be? What will she do? Her future is wide open. 

New beginnings always fill us with optimism.

So it goes with fear and wonder while experiencing new life. We can easily look at others and see the work of God.

The thing is that God's creative wonders don't stop after we are born. They continue. 

He created us each uniquely.

I was thinking about this as I read about Michael Phelps this week. His body is perfectly fashioned for moving through the water, and yet not everything has been "perfect". Having been diagnosed with ADHD as a child, his single mother sought to find a way to burn off the extra energy that flowed through his body.

God obviously knew what He was doing when he created the world's greatest swimmer in history thus far.  What our culture might consider a "disability" or a "problem", has actually served a greater purpose.  

God's creative fear and wonder is not just reserved for world-class Olympians, but is also at work in you. In me. 

All God's works are wonderful.

This week as I was sewing I began to experience the joy that comes from creating. As the 5x5 pieces of scraps began to look like the quilt I'd envisioned, I began to get excited. I was able to get a microscopic glimpse of what God must feel when He creates something so much more important: human life.

In light of all these thoughts, I began to think about ways in which I allow my fear to stifle who I am; how I allow too much focus on things that I don't enjoy about myself become roadblocks to the praise God deserves for making me unique. I often allow thoughts of self to get in the way of what God has created me to be and to do.

I can be just as excited about the things that make me who I am today, as I am about the hope and promise I see when I look in the eyes of a baby. 

~~~~~

If you are following along in the True Campaign I would love to hear what God has taught you on the subject of Fear and Wonder. 

For those of you who are new to the blog, especially those who may have found this blog through the True Campaign I would love you to hear from you.

And as always, for those who are lurking (and I don't mind that you are!), but have wanted to be a part of the True Campaign I encourage you to go sign up for the True updates.

La Vida Dulce!

Acting Like A First Grader

You know how when your kids come home from school and they can't wait to show you there art work?  Well, that's a little how this posts goes...

I have been working on several projects.

This spring I signed up to participate in The Feathered Nest's Apron Swap, which has been a lot of fun. I used this swap as a challenge to make a new apron. I had bought this pattern months ago and was looking forward to trying it. It ended up being fairly easy and the picture below is the finished project.

Last month my friend Chel over at Chasing Contentment suggested a swap. She makes beautiful jewelry. She and I both have little girls, so we decided to swap jewelry and aprons for both us big girls and our little girls, which I thought was fun. Several months ago my Mom found this Mother/Daughter apron pattern and picked one up for me. 

Honestly, I thought that the pattern pictures were beautiful, but I had put off making them because the cover pictures looked complicated and difficult. I decided this Mother/Daughter swap was a great way to challenge myself.

I learned to never judge a pattern by it's cover!  These aprons were so very easy to put together (the hardest and most time consuming part was cutting out the fabric pieces!) I am so pleased with the way they turned out.

Here is the Mom apron:

 Here is the Daughter apron:

The fun things about these aprons (which I didn't realize until I had finished them) is that they are completely reversible!  So it's like two aprons in one!

Happy Saturday!

Dorkarella

Oh y'all...

I was getting together some packages to put in the mail this morning and you won't believe what I have done!!!

You may remember a few weeks ago I was working on these:

Handmade blankets for two new babies...

Well, I went to go look up the address for the pink blanket baby and it turns out her name isn't Hannah Joy, but Hannah Jane.

Where in the world did I come up with Joy??? 

So now I will be ripping, ripping, ripping in an effort to fix my gigantic mistake.

I called The Mister at work because I was so distraught over my mistake, and he, in an attempt to lighten the mood, suggested that I might call Hannah Jane's sweet parents and ask if it would be too late change her middle name.

I have to admit, I laughed, but only because it's better than crying!

As coined by The Girl, I feel like such a "Dorkarella".

Work(s) in Progress...Sort of!

I should be cleaning up the kitchen, but why clean up after breakfast when I can blog?

I have several projects that are in the works. Actually, I have more than several, but these are the ones that have deadlines that must be met!

This is fabric that The Girl has been looking at for months. Last weekend it was 50% off so we finally bought a couple yards and I am doing my best to make the skirt she has designed in her head.  We shall see.  My only problem is that the top layer of tulle has massive amounts of glitter on it, that comes off whenever  you touch it. Being a lover of all things sparkly myself, I bought the fabric without any thought that the glitter would get everywhere, including in my machine. My sewing area looks like a glitter factory exploded. I am trying, unsuccessfully, to keep the sparkly-mess to my sewing area. It's getting tracked everywhere, causing issues throughout the house. The Mister doesn't think glitter on his uniform is within the military dress code. I'm thinking it adds a nice touch.  I, however, am not liking the glitter mess it is making my otherwise clean tile floor.  So the sooner this is finished the better.

Moving on...

This is a stack of material for baby blankets I am trying to get finished and mailed off before these precious babies graduate from college. Two of my friends have had their sweet boy and girl within a week of each other. It's always so much fun to make these blankets. Mostly because a soft, warm, blanket is on the Top Ten List of things I love the most.

This is a stack of material my mom gave me several months ago. Each piece is only 1/4 of a yard (she bought them to make a quilt), so I have been trying to think of what I could do with so many little pieces of fabric. I decided that I would start making doll outfits for our American Girl dolls.  I'd like to get this project done just so I can stop looking at the pile of fabric.  I love to have fabric, but I also hate having piles of stuff hanging around (the "clean counter queen" starts to rear her ugly head. Have I mentioned I despise clutter?)

Lastly (although not really), this fabric is soon to be a four-piece table setting set, with napkins.  In 10 short day this has to be packaged and ready to be auctioned at a charity dinner my parents are hosting. 

Yikes, what in the world am I sitting at my computer for?

Bloggy Giveaway Time! *comments closed*

Hooray! It's here! The Bloggy giveaway hosted by Bloggy Giveaway.

I am giving this handmade pink and white apron:

It's made from bar towels but has the look of chenille.

Leave a comment and then go check out what others are giving away and sign up there too! I will use a random number generator on the morning of Saturday, March 25th to pick the winner.

The Good News? You don't have to be a blogger to participate! But you do have to have a valid email address.

The Bad News? I'm sorry, but I can only mail to addresses in the US and Canada.

La Vida Dulce!