my submission for for ethereal pastel contest at http://www.stitchedincolor.com/. I love the idea of pastels.

No sewing for 2 week!!!

Things have been so crazy, and happening so fast over these last two weeks. It all started 2 Sunday's ago, when my youngest son was away with his Grandparents. So, can you guess what I did?...... Yup you guessed it, I sewed. I worked on finishing up the binding on Jamie's quilt, doing the hands stitching part. Since my little fella was not home I could watch what ever I wanted! HGTV is always my first choice. Well, after watching 4 Property Virgins, 3 My First Place, and some DIY shows, it got my wheels a turning. I hopped on the computer and looked up houses in our area...just for the heck of it. Well, that was a mistake (wink, wink). I found the cutest house! Long story shortened...hubby liked it, we went and looked at it, and now our house is up for sale in hopes of buying the other one!!! So these last 2 weeks I have been gutting out all the crap that has accumulated over the last 8 years, packed up some things, and cleaned like a crazy woman, so that it would be all ready to go on the market.

During this time I was unable to sew, insert very sad pathetic puppy face! I sew every night, wether it be just 10 minutes or 3 hours, cutting up fabric or pinning pieces, every night I am doing something related to sewing!! Sewing at night is my release, my let down time, my ME time! I had been so tired every night after all the packing, cleaning, and organizing, that I would crawl into bed and just gaze at my sewing area, so wanting to be doing something, but so tired that I just couldn't.

Well, yesterday I was able to get out of work early, picked up my oldest son from school (called hubby and asked if he would get the little guy so I could get some sewing done. Yes, my husband rocks....) I had an order for 6 placemat's that I just needed to sew the binding on, and then I had some fleece hats to make for my friend to wear when she lost her hair from the chemo. I can not express enough how great it felt to finally sew again!!!  Sewing is so therapeutic for me, as I'm sure it is for many people. It is so rewarding to sew. To take a lonely piece of fabric, sew it to another lonely piece of fabric, cut and repeat many times, till the end result is a beautiful hand crafted item made by ME!! Don't you all feel that way?

Happy sewing everyone....

A special quilt for a special friend

I have been working on a quilt for a friend of mine that was recently diagnosed with Breast Cancer.

 You all saw this quilt in my last, and so long ago, post. Back then I did not know what I was going to do with it once it was finished. But then a few months after I finished it, Jamie was diagnosed with Invasive Ductal Breast Cancer, stage 3. I wanted to make her something special, and of course it would be a quilt! I wanted it to be pink but not too pinkie. I saw this quilt top under my cutting table, and new it would be perfect!! I love the pops of pink mixed with yellow, green, periwinkle, and black. I wanted Jamie to have something to keep her warm during her treatments. But I also wanted her to wrap herself up in this quilt and feel the energy of all those that love her. I had many ideas on how I would do this like, having family and friend sign the quilt with a fabric marker. But that would have taken too long to send it out, and I was worried about the condition it would return in. Then I thought of adding the

words to the quilt like I did with Sophie's quilt. What better way for her to remember that her friends and family are thinking of her and sending wishes of "strength, love, and hope" than for her to read them sewn into her quilt. This quilt represents the journey she will endure for the next 7 months. Jamie will need to keep "faith, optimism, and courage" so that in the end she will have "healing, fight, live strong, cancer free, survivor"! All those words are in random blocks on her quilt. I have place the words"family" and "friendship" in he center of the quilt.

So now when she starts her chemo, she can wrap herself up, stay warm, and know that she is loved!

I couldn't help it!

I know, I know...I said I wasn't going to start a new quilt till I got some of my WIP done...but...but...I couldn't help myself ;} I was doing well finishing some top stitching on two of my quilts. But then I ran out of thread with just 3/4 of the quilt done. I could have started putting together another quilt but I wanted to try some variegated thread for that one. So, what's a girl to do {what I should have done...finish the 3 other quilts that I started a long, long time ago} so I started a new quilt with some new fat quarters that I got a few weeks or more ago.

 Fenway thought he would help arrange my blocks for me! These colors are way outside my comfort zone, but I love it.

 The collection is McKenzie- by Dena Designs that I got from Southern Fabric. I have 12 other fat quarters in yellow,teal,lime green. I am saving those to make a smaller version of this quilt.  

The pattern I used is called Meadow Blocks by Carlene Westberg. I put all these blocks together in a day. Now I have to sew the rows together. I love the print up above with the pink flower and black leaves. I want that for the back of the quilt, I just have to find it now. I think this is an old collection?

Sick Day

My little man is not feeling so well today. So, we are taking a sick day, and being lazy. We are hanging out in our jammies, watching cartoons, playing memory (he wins every time), and I am hoping to get some sewing done. I have two quilts that are ready to top stitch, and one quilt that needs the back made and then put it all together. If I can get these done then I can start on a new quilt, or two! Here are the fabrics waiting to be quilted

 This is a jelly roll of the fabric Flora. I am planning to make the Serendipity Quilt by Missouri Star Quilt Co. The best thing about this quilt will be the 2 for 1 quilts that you get from this pattern!

I got this great big fat quarter bundle from Southern Fabric shop on the Etsy website. I'm not sure what pattern I will use, I have a few new patterns that I want to try out.... Any one have any suggestions? Happy quilting***

My frist quilt a long

One of my quilting resolutions for 2012 was to join a quilt a long. I am taking part in Rachel Griffith's, of p.s. i quilt, Cascade build a quilt workshop. This class will build a modern patchwork quilt with solid colors. 

Here is Rachel's pattern with the colors that she is going to be using. She has a great eye for color. I had a hard time picking solid colors for this. I'm good at taking a print and finding all the colors that go with it. But to find solid colors that will go well together was a little more challenging. For this quilt I wanted to try some new colors. I always gravitate to the earth tone colors, and all shades of green (its my favorite color). Another quilting resolution was to step outside my comfort zone and try some new colors and bolder prints. So here is what I chose...

The fabric is from the new Michael Miller cotton couture collection. I purchased these at one of my favorite online shops The Fat Quarter Shop. To help me choose my colors I went to design seed website for some ideas of color combinations. I then decided that purple is becoming a new color for me. I found a purple color that I liked, you can even customize the color you are looking for, and looked at color pallets that had purple in it. I can not wait to see how it all come out. I will keep you all posted. Happy sewing***

Sunday's are for sewing

This is usually true of most Sunday's. But this weekend I have been working on painting my 11 year old son's room. He has decided that he wants it maroon with a white/grey/white stripe in the middle of the walls. So, today I am working on the first coat of the maroon. I will have pictures later once it looks less messy. Enjoy your day, and I hope you get to do some sewing.

...it's now 7:53pm, I'm in my Jammies, a glass of wine, some Ibuprofen, my two Boston Terriers in bed with me, the Bronco vs. Steelers are on, and the boy are not home yet....I'm exhausted. What a productive day! I started painting at 10am, and stopped at 6:05pm! But I am SO happy with the results of my son's room....

 **Before**

 **Taped**

 **Grey primer on**

 **first coat of maroon**

**I'm done**

 ** for now... some touch ups need to be done**

**my so cute Boston Terrier, Sweet Caroline, was not so sweet while I painted...She had a few messes in the house, and ripped up a hat with our other Boston, Fenway!!

Here they are, Fenway the brindle male on the left. And Sweet Caroline the black female on the right. This was last night, and was how I was feeling after painting all day. Well, I feel like that again today!! So, off to bed I go...