Hexagons

I love Pinterest.  I know a lot of you probably feel the same way.  There is so much to see and so many neat ideas.  I love looking at all the quilts on Pinterest.  It amazes me how many patterns there are and how they can all look so different from the next.  Some are made to look old and some look modern.  

Ever since I was a little girl, I have always been fascinated with hexagon quilts.  My mom has one that belonged to my Grandma and it hung on a quilt rack in "the pink room".  Anyone that knew my Grandparents knows what that means.  There are so many ways to put together a hexagon quilt but hers was put together in a very popular way called "Grandmother's Flower Garden".  The pieces are very small and all done by hand.  I have a great appreciation for this as I learned how to piece blocks by hand before I ever learned how to use a sewing machine.  When I look at it I can only imagine where the fabrics came from and what they were used for before they became scraps.  Maybe scraps left from an apron she made herself or a top...or maybe a skirt.  I don't ever remember her wearing pants until my mom bought her a pair when she was in the nursing home and always talked about how cold her legs were.  Once she put them on she couldn't believe she had gone that long without wearing them!  She saved every piece of scraps because she could always use it to make something.  She wasn't wasteful at all.  I guess most people of that generation weren't wasteful as they were very appreciative to have anything, as small as it may be.

After lots of blog reading and researching the best way to do hexagon blocks, I have finally started one.  Will I ever finish it or will it be added to the WIP pile?  I don't know.  But so far, I am enjoying having something to do while catching up on Downton Abbey or watching Dukes of Hazard with Bryson.  I ordered the pre cut hexagons from Etsy as I didn't want to waste time cutting them by hand and they only cost $5 for 66.  They are die cut so they are all exactly the same which means the corners will go together smoothly.  Unmatched corners are not good! I ordered the 1 1/2" hexagons thinking that would be the size across but I was wrong.  Hexagons are measured by the length of the side.  So my scraps are too small but don't worry!  I have plenty of fabric to cut into to make them.  Then I went back and ordered the smaller size for the smaller scraps.  I will be able to make 2 quilts now, different sizes and I can lay them out differently to look totally different.  Here is a picture of some of them after basting.  I will try to get a picture of some of the finished ones soon!  I took this picture on my footstool and the lighting isn't great.  Hopefully the next one will be better, but you get the idea.

Have any of you ever made a hexagon quilt?  I would love to see pictures if you have.  Feel free to leave a link in the comments!

Sara

Can You Believe It?

Do you see this? Yeah. That's me. I am so excited I can't stand it! I won fabric! Woo hoo! I have been wanting to make something with vintage sheets but I was waiting until my crafting area is finished to start trying to collect some. These that I won are already cut for me so all I have to do is sew them together! Can't wait!

I have nothing to post this week that I have made :( My machine needed a little time in the shop for a tune~up. They are kinda like cars in that way. I guess I have been using it too much! I do have plans to finish a few projects in the next few days so hopefully I will have some things to post later. And tonight is craft night with my friends! I think I am going to work on my solid circle quilt that I started a year or so ago. Like Roman's quilt only made with all different solids....and bigger!

This is the month that the boys go to their dad's house. You would think I would be able to get a lot done, but last night was the first night that we ate dinner at home since the last time I cooked for them when they were home! I always have big hopes of cleaning out a closet or toy box here or there when they are gone but never seem to get things done like I want. I don't get it. I have 2 less people to take care of, a lot less laundry to wash and smaller meals to make but I seem busier. I guess that is a good thing seeing how this is a really hard month for me.

It's a long story.....

I just took two loaves of banana bread out of the oven so I better get it cut and buttered before the boys eat it out of the pans! Have a great weekend!

Sara

Love This!

So I have been going through these quilts in the Blogger Quilt Festival. I have found one that I HAVE to have. I even emailed the maker and asked her to send it to me for Christmas! When I checked my email the other day there was a response from her!!! She politely told me that if I was waiting by the mailbox holding my breath, I really should stop because she wasn't sending it to me. Well then. I was really sad but I told her I understood and we could still be friends.

But what else would I have expected from a total stranger?
Click here to see her awesome quilt. And yes, part of the reason I like it so much is because it is green. I think most of you know that already, but just in case Candy didn't know, there ya go. Any who, so now I am on a quest. A quest to collect the selvage edge from all different fabrics. Selvages of any length. A good inch to two inches from the edge would be great. My only problem is I have one friend that I know sews and I contacted her immediately. So if you sew, or you have friends that sew, or if you have friends that have friends that sew, I want the selvages.

Give them to me and no one gets hurt.

You are going to throw them away, anyhow. You will never use them, and you know you would never get around to making one of these yourselves! You are too busy so don't even try it! Thanks!

Sara

Blogger Quilt Festival

After looking at many beautiful quilts over the last few days, I have decided to enter Roman's quilt in a Blogger Quilt Festival! I hope I do this correctly! Some of you have already heard about this here so sorry to bore you :) But you really should go check out the other quilts in the Quilt Festival. Very good stuff, I tell ya!

I made this quilt for my good friends Reed and Bridget's first baby. They moved far far away right before she got pregnant, so after she had decided on what to do in the nursery, I had her send me the names of her paints that she was going to use. I went to Home Depot and picked up the free paint samples in those colors and took a trip to the fabric store. I had a hard time finding fabric to match the paint samples, but I did find what I needed in the fat quarter section and some on bolts. But of course the fabric on the bolts all had barely a yard left. That is how my luck goes, folks!

This quilt was hand appliqued over a few months at baseball games, in the car on road trips, and red lights. Yes, at red lights. I used the freezer paper method. This is the extent of my applique capabilities too. Circles=easy. If you want to learn, start with circles. Anyway, then I pieced all my blocks on the sewing machine. I hand quilted a spiral over each circle block. And yes I am jealous of all of you that quilt on your machine. I tried it a few times and it was a disaster. Maybe Santa can bring me a machine that I can do that on. Hint, hint. Lastly, I made my own binding and put it on by hand too!

So how long did it take me?

How am I supposed to know? I was watching baseball and sewing at red lights! I'm not really sure the size of it either because I didn't think to measure it before I mailed it. But it is a generous baby size. I don't do well with really small baby quilts. I want them to get really used with all the work I put into them! Okay, I just looked back through my posts and I posted about the fabric in February and took the pictures in May. So, there you go. 3 months, take or give a little.

And I photograph like I machine quilt. Sorry. This is the best I could do!

Hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for stopping by!

Sara

Quilt number...who knows?

While working on a baby quilt this afternoon as Bryson napped, it occurred to me that I never posted about finishing Roman's quilt! Here are some pictures I took of it. Keep in mind....I never claim to be a photographer....




I honestly have to say this quilt turned out far better than what I thought it would. I had a hard time finding fabric to match the paint samples. A lot of these fabrics were fat quarters...which means I had to purchase small pre-cut pieces. That is why I decided on a scrappy look like this. I couldn't figure out where to put the rick rack, so I didn't use it. It still turned out really cute. I have to say, it is one of my favorites. I even threatened not to mail it to them! But I decided that wouldn't be very nice of me and very reluctantly drove it to the post office so the lady there could pry it from my hands.

If you would like to see pictures of cute little Roman on his quilt click here and scroll down to Mr. R. is 3 months. You can even see a photo of his cute little family that we miss a whole bunch! Oh my goodness! I just added my first link ever! I hope it works!

Sara

It's Spring!

I can't believe I have neglected my blog for this long! But we have been super busy. A lot of things have happened since the last post so I will try not to drag this out too long.
Once we got everyone well, we celebrated Bryson's second birthday with family and close friends with a Mickey Mouse cake that he picked out himself. His Aunt Aimee got us tickets to the circus for his birthday so we spent the afternoon there. It was really good and the kids had a great time. Bryson only got fidgety for a few minutes but still did really good. Blaine and Brayden took money for cotton candy. And when Blaine has money it burns holes in his pockets so he got cotton candy and popcorn for a grand total of $20.00. But he was really sweet and shared every bit of it with Bryson "cause he doesn't have money yet"!
Then after all the partying we got back to our regular schedule, meaning someone got sick. Stephen ended up with a stomach bug and missed two days of work. He has not missed a day of work since he had his wisdom teeth taken out in 2003. And that was the first time I think he had ever taken a sick day at all! Isn't that crazy?
Baseball practices are in full swing but I have gotten a break from that since this is Spring Break and the older boys are with their dad this week. This is always hard because it is a total of 10 days they are gone. But they are adjusting well and it seems they appreciate being home more when they come back. Bryson has only asked for them a few times so I guess he is adjusting well also.
Baby Roman came last Thursday so I have spent a lot of time showing Bryson pictures of him on the computer. He cries to see him and gets mad when I shut down the computer. He was little bitty but strong and healthy. I wish I could snuggle him and see his feet, but we will have to wait until we can get some time off to go visit. Needless to say, another reason I haven't blogged is because I have been sewing like a crazy woman. In the car rider line, at red lights, when Stephen is driving, early in the morning before the sun comes up and late at night after everyone is in bed. I have sewed so much Bryson will say, "Mommy...you sewin'? Bay-yee Wonan?" I have all the blocks finished and as soon as I can dig out my machine (hopefully when Bryson gets up...it is in the closet off his room) I can get it all pieced together. It is turning out cute...still not sure about the rick rack.
And then there is the garden. Stephen has been working on getting the garden beds ready. Everyone in the family has told Stephen what they want in the garden and he has drawn it out and found room for all of our requests. The boys have agreed to be in charge of certain vegetables and they seem excited. Honestly, I think Bryson's excitement is the only one that will keep going through out the summer, but we will see.
And did I mention today is the first day of spring?!? That means we are closer to warmer weather hanging around and actually getting to plant the garden. Spring and fall are my favorite seasons. Can't say I get excited about summer in the south. The Yankee still comes out in me with the heat and humidity down here.
Well, I am going to wrap it up here. I've got lots to get done here today. I will try to post pictures of the progress on my quilt soon. But I can't show to much because Roman's mommy will read this and it won't be a surprise! I hope everyone has a good first day of spring and a great weekend because I know I probably won't post again before next week!

Sara

Roman's Quilt

I have a new project to start this weekend. And no....I haven't finished the last quilt I posted about. In fact, I haven't touched it since. I will explain that in a moment. Roman is due a couple of weeks after Bryson turns two. I have a lot of work to do in a short amount of time. I never get my baby quilts done before the baby comes. I like to make something for that particular baby instead of making things up ahead of time that can go for either a boy or a girl. So I have waited until mommy picks out the bedding and has the nursery painted. I received a message on facebook last week with all the colors of the paint that will be in his room. So Saturday while Bryson was at home napping with his Daddy, I took a little trip to Home Depot and then on the Hancock's Fabrics.

Actually, the way that went was, I went to Hancock's and then remembered that I forget to go by Home Depot and get the paint samples so I had no idea what I was getting. So I left Hancock's, went to Home Depot, got the samples and went back to Hancock's.

I had a hard time finding fabric with the colors that matched the paint samples that didn't have flowers or pink on them. I looked around for quite some time before deciding on the fabrics that I liked together. Roman's mommy has also requested rick rack which I have always wanted to use in a quilt, but have not. I hope I can incorporate it into this one. Not sure how I will do it yet.

Here are the paints that will be in Roman's room.


And here are the fabrics I found to work with.


Rick Rack in chocolate brown. That will also be in his room, I just didn't get a paint sample of that cause, well, we all know that I know what chocolate looks like.


And this is my inspiration for my quilt.



Wish me luck!

P.S. The other quilt that I was working on.....I decided to back it with an old sheet that I had that wasn't really old, but don't use anymore. I started looking for it and then remembered donating it to purple heart a few months ago. Well, I needed to have the measurement of the backing fabric so I would know how wide I need to make the strips. I didn't want to get a bunch of it done and it be too long and have to cut it off. So I decided to look for one last time I went to Target. The first thing I saw when I walked down the aisle was perfect. It is an olive/khaki combination with chocolate brown paisleys. I thought it would work well since it does look kinda old and paisleys where really popular in the time period that all my scraps are from. I got the whole queen set for $19.99! That means I can use the fitted sheet to back another one and I guess I could use the pillow cases in another quilt! Maybe when I get Roman's done I will have time to work on it again.

Sara

Tile Floors

This weekend we have been working on tile floors in our bathrooms. We have been living with the horrid linoleum that came with the house and have planned on tiling for awhile but other projects have come up. The tile kept getting pushed back but we got one bathroom down. It is drying now and will be ready to grout on Monday. Now if a family of five can survive with one potty.....

It is so cold out here in the South. Even to a Yankee like me. I thought it was a good weekend for tiling considering it was an inside project. But I sure didn't know my poor hubby would have his hands in water cutting the tile. He ended up moving the saw into the garage when the sun went down because the blade kept icing over. He did tell me it would have been easier if it wasn't laid on the diagonal and there would have been less cutting. But it does look good and the room looks bigger. Then when we have that potty back in we can do the master bath. We had to rent the saw so we went ahead and cut the tile for both rooms so we didn't have to pay for two rental days. So I have tile laid out in my bathroom floor over the linoleum until it is ready to go down.

I haven't had much time to work on my quilt the last week. Last night was the first night that we had been home before bed since the Friday night before. Brayden had his last game Thursday night so that should give us a much needed break for a few weeks. That is, until baseball starts. The weather being cold outside makes me want to work on my quilt! But what doesn't, right? Maybe I will be able to work on it some after supper. Speaking of supper, I need to go get started on it. I have chicken in the crock pot for chicken casserole. I think I might also make apple crisp for later this evening. Something about the cold weather makes we want to eat apple crisp and I love to smell it baking! It makes the house smell so good! And considering we are all feeling a little high from smelling the thin set that was used to lay the tile, apple crisp would be a nice change!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Comments

After reading my comments to my last post, I commented and tried to answer all the questions. Then I decided it was too long and that it should just be a post. So I will try to answer them all.

How do I get so much done in the morning? I get up early because my husband has to leave early and I know if I don't get up and get showered and ready for work then, I won't get to. The morning is about the only time I can do anything....not that I get as much done as I would like. Blaine has been difficult this year when he comes home from school about getting his homework done, so I try to focus on him as much as I can. That is....with an almost 2 year old whining for me after being gone. Thankfully Brayden is good enough to get to the table and get his done without much harping.

Why did I have a baby in December? Let me tell you....I had it ALL planned out when I wanted to get pregnant. I planned around when I would be showing and having to buy maternity clothes, the weather and whether I would be a beached whale in the middle of the summer. So we were gonna try to get pregnant starting AFTER Christmas. I guess God was reminding me that you can't plan everything. When I went to the Dr. they told me my due date was Christmas day! Are you kidding me? And as far as birthday parties in December...I strictly remember telling everyone DO NOT mix his birthday with his Christmas. Until he is older and wants something expensive and he agrees to it ahead of time. I requested that his birthday presents be wrapped in birthday paper and his Christmas presents be wrapped in Christmas paper.


For his first birthday, my then mother-in-law wrapped his birthday paper in Hanukkah paper. When did we become Jewish anyway? I don't know if she did it to get under my skin (she never did care much for me) or if she just really had no idea that the blue paper with the Star of David plastered all over it was not birthday paper.

Does Brayden really notice what other mothers are wearing in the car rider line? I very seriously doubt it. He has never mentioned anything. The only thing he asked for at Christmas was cologne that one of our friends wear. He is a little more into himself right now instead of the mothers. And in case you are wondering what cologne...Very Sexy from Victoria's Secret. What is even funnier than that? He had no idea that is what it was called or that is where it was from. I think if he knew that he wouldn't have asked for it. But it hasn't stopped him from wearing it! I used to take the boys to school in my pj's and then come back home and get ready for work...before Bryson. And I would pray I didn't get hit by one of the morons that can't figure out who should go next at the stop sign and have to get out in my pajamas with everyone watching.

Blaine was telling me about the quilt thing at school. He asked me if he could take some pictures of my quilts to school tomorrow. I told him I would see what I could come up with. I was always crafty as a little one and it turned artsy fartsy in school. I took every art class available at school and couldn't get enough. I wish I was able to do more now but there is not enough time nor space to leave it out and lock out the kids. I even was offered art scholarships but I was dumb and got married instead. We all know where that ended up!

Blaine getting his finger stuck in the seat belt is a pretty lengthy story so I will start working on it for another post. I'm sure you will all get a kick out of it...as most do with anything Blaine does, it seems. He has a knack for that, you know.

I hope everyone has a great day tomorrow....at least we can sleep a little later with schools being delayed.

Sara

Lazy Days

We have really been enjoying our time off with the boys. We have been off almost the whole time they have been out of school. It is going to be hard to go back on Monday. I have done some more sewing, cleaned out drawers and toy boxes and finally got the Christmas stuff packed up and into the attic. Not to mention all the other normal things: laundry cooking and cleaning up after the cooking, and picking up hundreds of toys!

I am excited about my next project! One of my New Year's Resolutions is to try to use up a lot of the fabric that I already have. I am really bad about saving it but then buying new fabric to start another project. I have tubs of fabric everywhere. Tubs in the garage, in Bryson's closet (which has never been his closet because of the fabric!), and tubs under my bed. I have fabric of my own, some that belonged to both of my Grandma's and fabric that people give me after loved ones pass away and they know I would like to have it. I have had a tub of fabric that is a combination of both my Grandmas. It is full of little bitty scraps that were left over from making necessary things. I can remember asking my mom why in the world someone would keep such small pieces! Then she told me that my Grandparents came from a time when you had nothing and when you actually did have something you didn't waste it. To have to make things out of old clothes that had been outgrown by literally everyone in the family. As I sit here and think about how I quilt for fun, it is hard to imagine having to do this out of necessity. Having to make sure they had enough covers for the cold snowy winters. I am sure it would take some of the fun out if it, for sure. I pulled it out and started looking through it all and I could see where clothes were made from them. Shirts, aprons or maybe even the house dresses my Grandmas used to where. I could see where the notches to match the seams were cut. A few are in the shape of sleeves. Some I could see seams where maybe something was too long and it was shortened. Some have ink lines where my Grandma would cut quilt blocks for her own quilts. I think of my Grandparents often but going through all this fabric has made me really think about them. It also makes me wonder if my parents or their siblings would recognize a fabric that maybe they had worn in a shirt or dress as a young child.
What I have decided to do is make a quilt for our bed. Queen size! I have never made one bigger than a twin. All of the scraps are gaudy and crazy looking. I have always referred to it as my "ugly fabric". This is fabric that you would never buy these days if you went to the store and saw it. Most of it looks like it is from the 50's and 60's. Maybe even older. There really isn't anything that I can think of as far as a pattern goes to use this box of "ugly fabric". So what I have decided to do with it is called a strip pieced quilt. Back when quilts were made out of necessity, people made these kind of quilts with scraps that were too small for anything else, but you didn't dare throw something away! Women would use old newspaper and sew these little scraps to the paper, and then back it with a solid piece. Maybe an old bed sheet or if they were lucky, a piece of new fabric. Sometimes the backs were pieced together too. The newspaper stayed sandwiched in the middle as an extra layer of warmth. Of course, I won't be using newspaper. I will be using muslin, which an inexpensive plain fabric that usually runs around $1.00 a yard. Very cheap! Than I plan to use an old sheet that is still good but doesn't match my room since I repainted two years ago. All of this will make this a very special "ugly quilt" and when finished will lay on my bed for years. I hope that my boys and their wives one day will appreciate things that we had when they were younger too! But it does make me wonder if they will when I have to go through toy boxes after Christmas to make room for their new things.

The box on the left is a photo of what I have to work with. The photo on the right is a few of the strips that I have finished. When I get the strips done then I will sew all of them together to make my quilt top. It actually doesn't look as gaudy on these photos as it does in real life! And if anyone has wondered what Bryson has been up to while I am sewing, I am including a few photos of that too!





This is his new pint sized Dirt Devil that Santa brought! You go Santa! We have thought about renting him out at a small fee to compensate for all the diapers! Stephen even had to empty the container today because it actually picks up a little!

Sara

Just In The Nick of Time

I finished it. Brayden's quilt was completed mid morning of Christmas Eve. My machine messed up again and I had to finish with my mom's machine just like I did with Blaine's. I really was hoping to get finished in time to make one for Bryson but he will have to get his some other time. The machine is in the shop...still...and the guy working on it called yesterday to tell me that more was wrong with it than he had originally thought. So basically all the repairs over the last two months I could have probably bought a new one that does a whole lot more stuff.

Tonight is our Christmas Eve. The boys came home from their dad's tonight at 6pm so Santa will come visit us tonight. That is how you have to do things when you have two sets of families. I guess Santa just knows how to do that.

I didn't realize it had been this long since I had updated my blog. And boy have I been up to a lot since the last one. Brayden was sick, and then Stephen got it. I sent out over 115 Christmas cards, only to realize that I think I left a few important people off "the list". I cheated this year and did address labels cause that is a whole lot of addressing. But I do think I forgot a few people, so if you normally get a card from me and you didn't this year, you got left off the list by accident. Oops. I will try to do better next year. I planned Brayden's birthday party only to postpone it due to all the illnesses. So I get to plan it again. Yay for me. I did some Christmas shopping...pretty much all of it...last Saturday. And of course, it would rain the whole time. But my parents kept the baby for us so we got to go by ourselves and that was fun. We went to two antique shops that day looking for something particular for my mom and Stephen's dad and decided that it was fun going through other people's junk. Never thought I would like that because I hate to shop, but I could see things that I could make out of other people's stuff. I guess it is true about one man's trash being another man's treasures. I just never thought of myself as being that other man. I will tell about what we were looking for after Christmas. I don't know if they will read this and I don't want to ruin the surprise!

I also "elfed ourselves" and if I can figure out how to get it to my blog I will share it with you. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Maybe when all the hoop-la is over I will post more often. Not that I will have anything interesting to say.....

Sara

Kicked to the Curb

I think it's official. Poor Blue's Clues has been kicked to the curb! Can I get a hallelujah?!?
Now we are on to....The Polar Express! Which, yes, that is a little better, but am I gonna have to watch this through the summer? I guess only time will tell.

It won't be long before Bryson wakes up and as soon as I pick him up from his crib he will point to the TV and start saying, "Choo Choo"! As soon as it starts the snow starts falling and he will say, "Ahhh! NOOOO!" He can hardly contain his excitement as the movie leads up to the Polar Express Train coming down the street. He gets so excited! Then when he hears, it he hollars, "Choo Choo! Ah Uh Boyeeeeee!" That is " all aboard" for those of you who are out of practice decifering the language of jibber jabber. And yes, you can get out of practice on that. I learned that teaching the little ones in Bible Class!

If you have never seen the Polar Express you really should watch it this holiday season. It is a cute movie. Every season someone will come and tell me they watched it and say, "Have you seen the Polar Express? There is a kid on there that looks just like Blaine!" And it is true! I think so anyway....even the kid's mannerisms. It is really weird. So if you have it, watch it, and those of you who know Blaine, see if you can tell which character it is!!

I am slowing checking things off my Christmas list. Checked off the birthday party and moved it until after Christmas due to illnesses. I do not want to be responsible for everyone else's kids getting what Brayden has had. I have finished the PJ pants for both boys. Today I will try to get started on Brayden's lazy denim quilt. I have a few other gifts up my sleeves for family that I will propably tell about after Christmas. I don't know if any of them read this or not....

I will get off here now so maybe I can get something done before it is Polar Express time!

I hope everyone has a great, not so busy (who am I kidding...it is too close to Christmas!) eventful weekend!

One Down...Two To Go!

Here is a picture of what I have been working on lately. I have been keeping our old jeans for awhile to do this. The boys are always wearing out the knees of their jeans and I hate to throw things away! The rest of them are perfectly good! The boys are always complaining about their blankets on their beds. It seems like the last few years for Christmas someone will get them a blanket. But they never really seemed to fit the bed very good. They would be a throw size or they would be just a little too short to tuck into the bottom. Last year's were Alabama and they slid off the bed every night. So about a month ago I decided I would start using up all those scraps of denim. I watched for flannel to go on sale and bought 14 yards for $3.99 a yard! That was 50% off! I had hit the jackpot! Except they only had three fabrics to choose from that didn't look like a girl or have baby sheep on them. So I found this one that is in the picture. I liked it okay, but I sure didn't want to have to cut a bunch of plaid. I like to use my rotary cutter and mat and I can cut fabric in no time. With plaid you have to fussy cut. I had to cut a template and them cut each block one...at...a...time. All 180 of them. For each quilt. But it went together somewhat quickly. Quicker than a regular quilt because i don't have to quilt it! I just sew blocks and then the rows. Then I have to go back and cut each seam to make it ravel. It is called a lazy denim quilt. I didn't do it for the lazy part but the quick part. They are hopefully going to get these for Christmas. And then if I have time I will use the scraps from the flannel and make a small one for Bryson. We will see.

The picture below is the quilt that I made for Blaine's kindergarten teacher that I posted about back in September, I think. It turned out descent. I don't think I have ever made a quilt and been completely happy with the way it turns out. I guess I am too particular and I can spot every little mistake that I make. But I promised a picture of it in that post....so here it is!



I have also decided to try to make them pajama pants. I want to learn some simple sewing and what better way to learn than something no one has to wear in public! So of course, I went last weekend to the big fabric sale and once again they had nothing real appropriate for my boys. What I ended I up coming home with is baby blue with hockey gear on it. It seems like they play every sport but hockey, but it was 50% off and who wants to pay full price in case I ruin it? They did have an Alabama print but of course it wasn't on sale and it was $8.00 a yard. I would definitely jinx myself if I had bought it. I needed 4 yards and I could not justify buying that when I could have bought them cheaper already made. So I will practice on my sale fabric, watch for the Alabama fabric to go on sale, and then if the first pair turns out I will buy the Alabama fabric and make those. I may even wait until spring and get it really cheap and then wait until next fall to make those! That is a good idea! I am glad I just thought of that!

Have a great first of the week!

Sara

This Week

I have been home all this week from work. Brayden has had strep throat. It all started on Sunday. Saturday we went to the pumpkin patch with our church group and had a busy, fun, long day. I will hopefully post pictures later. I have enjoyed being home these last few days but I know the papers are piling up quickly at work. I have gotten a lot done at home. All the little things that I don't get to because I have not been home long enough to do it. And some things I didn't get to, but I am sure they aren't going anywhere. They never have before and the cleaning fairy still hasn't found my house. Stephen is staying home from church with Brayden tonight so I can go. I missed Sunday night so I guess you can say it is his turn.
I participated in a kids consignment sale this fall. This was my first time to do this. I had 161 items and made $270.50. I brought home about 25 things. I wasn't really sure how to price things because I have never shopped it either. I think I priced things on the low side but a lot of it has been through three boys so I felt kinda bad even asking money for the stuff! Of course, they don't let you bring things with stains, holes, missing buttons...those kinds of things. So it's not like they looked like they have been through three boys. I am looking forward to doing it again in the spring!
I have had a hard time sleeping the last week or so. There is just something about the cooler weather that makes me want to do craft stuff. I wake up a lot in the night and think of something new to do. If I feel anything is worth showing, I will post that, too.
We finally got Blaine's teacher's quilt delivered. Remember...the kindergarten teacher gift from an earlier post? I can post a picture of it now, too, except my camera is still in the car from the pumpkin patch. I can hear the boys fighting now as they do their homework so I guess Brayden is feeling much better. He has begged me the last 2 days to take him to school. He says school is funner than laying on the couch. That is something that would have never come out of my mouth. I can always find something to do that is funner than school!
I know this post is all over the place but I am trying to get it done quickly and have already been interrupted about 7 times. I need to get some more things done while the baby sleeps and before I have to leave. Hopefully I will have my camera close by for my next post!
Oh yeah! We found out Monday that our very good friends Reed and Bridget are having a baby boy! They moved to Texas a few months ago. They were our eating out card playing church buddies. I tried to be optimistic when they moved and told myself maybe I will lose my baby fat from #3 and my house will always be clean. You guys might as well come back at Alabama. It wasn't ya'll all along! We miss them a bunch and are gonna miss spoiling that baby boy. And the rate I have been getting quilts done lately, I better get started soon! I see a really long road trip in our future....

Sara

Finally Finished!

When my oldest was in Kindergarten I decided every year for a teacher gift I would make his teacher a quilt. So I made his teacher one in her favorite color, purple. It turned out really cute and he gave it to her the day he graduated. We have the cutest picture with him posing by her and her quilt. He was as proud of that quilt as I was.
Then he went to first grade and that year several of my friends had babies. They don't just hope they get one of my quilts, they come up and tell me what color they want it to be. So then I decided I would just make quilts for the Kindergarten teachers. After all, they are special in the fact that they take our babies that first year away from us and love them like we would if we were there. So Blaine started Kindergarten and I was 2 months pregnant with Bryson. Of course, I was too tired to start one. And then Thanksgiving and Christmas came along. Then I started nesting and painted 3 rooms in my house. I can make a quilt on maternity leave can't I? Well...I didn't anticipate all the laundry that would come with only one more person. Then baseball started. It seems like he has been at the ball field since he was 3 weeks old. Then graduation day came along. We gave his teacher her quilt...basted together...and then took it back. I told her it was just a preview. I couldn't let her think that she wasn't getting one, could I? Everyone was jealous of Brayden's teacher gift. All the teachers were saying they were going to pick my kids to be in their class so they could get one too!
I explained to Blaine why I didn't get it finished and I would have his teacher's quilt finished by the time school started in the fall.
Then Blaine was promoted to the second grade. Still no teacher quilt for his wonderful Kindergarten teacher.
Last night I finally finished the last of the binding. It really didn't take me long to quilt and finish it. Just finding the time to sit down and get it done was the hard part. I can't do it with Bryson awake. He gets into my stuff and gets mad when I won't let him touch my sewing things. And then the fact that he naps at my mom's house while I am at work and doesn't nap at home unless I am off or it is the weekend. Then there is the house work and laundry then. So I ended up getting a bigger washer and dryer last month and it has cut down on how many loads I have to do each day and it has helped free up some time for sewing! So I washed and dried the quilt this morning. Then I picked the boys up at school and drove around to the front of the building. I got all three of the boys out of the van and went inside for the big reveal! She was out today because one of her children was at home sick. Disappointment once again for poor little Blaine. I told him we would try again on Monday. That would give me time to get a card and gift bag. If we are going to give a gift 2 years late we should at least wrap it, right? Then maybe I can put a picture here of it and you all can see it!
Bryson will be starting kindergarten in about 5 years. I guess I should get started on his teacher quilt now!

Sara