St. Nick Swap

If you've been around me lately, you'll know that I've been doing a few swaps on Flickr.  Very fun, but addictive.  Here's my recent loot from the St. Nick swap I participated in:

All of that (except for the wine) from The Patchwork Queen.  Very generous!  The chocolate's almost gone already!

With that being said, I think I'm going to lay off on swaps for a bit.  All of my swap obligations have been sent away and I've received everything, too.

I am in 3 sewing bees.  One uses vintage sheets and it's got about 6 more months in my commitment.  Not sure if I'll do another round with those.  While I do have a pretty decent stash of vintage sheets, I don't LOVE sewing with them.  They are so thin.  And when you iron them, the smell is not so pleasant.  Poly, I guess.  Sometimes you can smell perfume when you iron them.  Or old man sweat...  We generally mix them with quilting fabric (cotton), but it's not my very favorite fabric.

I'm in a bee with some of my KCMQG members.  I'm really enjoying it.  Some really talented ladies who are challenging me and teaching me, too!  At the end of April or May (I forget), we will have completed one year.  I'd imagine we'll do another year.  I'm going to be game, if so.  I'm the mama on that bee.

And I'm starting a new bee in January.  The Lovely Linen Bee.  We will use a combination of linen and our scraps to make blocks for each other.  Seems like a lively group and we've got a blog already (will link to it in a future post).  I think it'll be fun.  I've never sewn much with linen.  I intend to build up a little stash of it, but haven't taken the time or $ to buy much yet.

So my resolutions for this coming year:  Less swaps, more fun with bees (but I'm not joining any more bees) and maybe finishing some projects I've had ongoing for a while.  I'm starting to be more confident with my own quilting.  Will save me money by quilting things myself!

I'll leave you with a little eye candy from my bee blocks for the Bee Vintage bee and the KC Scrappy bee...

Christmas Gifts

I've made several of these baby doll quilts for my nieces and my nephew.  Tried out my used (new to me) Bernina and some new feet to do different quilting on each one.  This was my first attempt at free motion.  I sewed thru my thumb on this one!  OUCH!  (It wasn't QUITE that bad... but it scared me!)



This is attempt #6, I think at a Noodlehead Clutch.  I skipped the dividers inside and I like it a lot!  It will be for Olivia.  She loves animals.  The fabric is one of my very favorites.  I think the gray stripe makes it seem more grown up/mature.  She's 7.  My sister said she and her sister, Cameron need something to put their allowance in.  I'm giving her a smaller coin purse, too.

These are for Cameron.  Above is the back...  Below, the front.  Cameron is such a girlie girl.  Everything pink and sparkly for her.  Will have to add lip gloss to their clutches.  Maybe nail polish, too...

Finished

Just in time for our gift exchange this weekend, I finished my in-laws' anniversary wall hanging. Just need to wash it!

Anniversary wall hanging

Signed by family & friends at my in-laws' 50th anniversary party.










Going to bind it tonight. Giving it to them Saturday night.

Fa La La La

My Christmas shopping is done.  Gifts are wrapped.  The only exceptions are the items I'm working on in the sewing department.

Here's my to-do: (Updated)

1.  Piece, sandwich, quilt and bind in-laws anniversary wall hanging (may work on that today) (Completely FINISHED!)
2.  Finish 2 Noodlehead clutches for my sisters
3.  Cut out/sew 2 more Noodlehead clutches for my nieces, Camron and Olivia
4.  Bind 3 baby doll quilts- One for our buddy Mikie, one for my niece, Marley (halfway done) and her brother Jayden
5.  Sandwich, quilt and bind baby quilt for Charlie.  Charlie is the shiny new baby boy belonging to my first boyfriend (in kindergarten), Chuckie Eason.  We grew up together.  They live next door to my grandparents and I pretty much lived there.  I want to take it completed when I go home to visit after Christmas.  I made 15 inch squares and will make it fancier by quilting it with fun thread and fun stitches.  Cowboy boot fabric!  Yee Haw!
6.  A couple more zipper pouches for my nieces.
7.  Optional- Zipper bags for baby dolls for Marley, Jayden and Natalie.

I'm tired just thinking of it...

But Kristen's baby quilt is finished.  So are Katie's 2.  They're wrapped and everything!

I'm going to change a diaper or two, shush them to bed and then if I'm lucky, I'll get a couple hours to make some progress!

Time

This afternoon, I decided that instead of putting the boys to bed right after lunch, I'd turn on the baby monitors and let them play together... running back and forth between their bedrooms.

And I took some time to head upstairs and tidy up my sewing room!  The chaos is causing me to be less productive, if I'm completely honest with myself.  I must get rid of some things *gasp* and organize the rest, pronto.

But I digress...  I was cleaning and listening to the baby monitors (my sewing room is just around the corner and up the stairs above their rooms) and I realized they were really, really quiet.

So I crept downstairs and peeked through the crack in the closet door...




They were playing quite nicely together.  Quietly.  Bliss.
*Please kindly ignore that they're both still in their pajamas at 2 pm.  That's the way we roll.*
My sewing room is still chaotic, but the area around my machine that holds my spools of thread, bobbins, accessories to my machine, etc. is quite tidy.  Even dusted!  I also found the biggest plastic tub I own and shoved as many of my scraps inside as possible.  I still had a large laundry basket and a couple small bags besides that of scraps.  I shoved it all under a table.  Out of sight, out of mind!
Now I need to get busy.  I have 2 projects on my design wall that I'd like to get pieced pronto.  One is my cousin's butterfly quilt.  It's about 3/8ths of the way pieced, although all of the blocks are finished.
My other project is a little more rushed.  It's the wall hanging for my in-laws' 50th wedding anniversary.  Remember?  The one where everyone signed blocks?
Truth be told, I lost one block (the one my brother-in-law signed) in my sewing room somewhere.  I am thinking that I'll find it soon if I keep cleaning... Right?
Enough talk.  Time for action.  Might post pictures if I really make some progress... Stay tuned!
And drop me a comment.  Sometimes I think I'm talking to myself.  Thanks!

Our stockings

Patrick's is purple...mine is red...




Wyatt & Owen received these when they were babies. My friend, Cornelia made them.



They are very rarely hanging up. The kids drag them all around the house.

Change purse

Change purse, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

I'm not so good at zippers.

But I'm trying.

This is my first completed change purse. :) I like it. Used a block I had laying around along with a few charm squares.

Will make a stocking stuffer for one of my nieces. They'll love it because i'll add some chewing gum, lip gloss and other fun stuff inside...

A baby quilt for Parthena... Unveiled at KCMQG tonight.

A baby quilt for Parthena... Unveiled at KCMQG tonight., originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

Here it is! My finished butterfly quilt for my good friend, Parthena. She's having a girl in the next month or so and I'm tickled to have it finished! The back is a beautiful and soft pink vintage sheet. This quilt is as girly as it gets.

I did something I don't normally do! I quilted it myself, instead of having a longarmer do it. I'm really happy with how easy and quick the quilting was. Used a nice king tut variegated pink to quilt it. The binding and the bodies of the butterflies are actually a dark chocolate color with some tiny bits of pink. The background of the butterflies is a Kaffe polka dot. I used all the pinks in my stash plus a few more for this quilt.

This pattern is from Mrs. Schmenkman's blog. Wonky butterflies. I love it. Warning- It wastes a fair amount of fabric, but to me it's worth it.

I will probably be making more of this pattern in the future. I still have one other baby quilt like this to finish for my cousin. I'm using a vintage sheet on the back of hers, too (something I'd never done before). I'm in the process of piecing the blocks together but her shower won't be until March or April, so I have some time.

Can't wait to meet your little one, Parthena!!!!

For iris

Finished!

Another Finish!

I stayed up till 12:15 tonight finishing up binding on a quilt!  Not telling which one...  But I'm SO excited about it.  Turned out even more fabulous than I'd imagined it would...  Will post pics after Thursday night...

I still have 2 more I'd like to get bound before then.  I think I can do it!  They're baby quilts...

Sewing Central

It's serious sewing time around here.  I've set some lofty goals for the next couple of days.  Tomorrow is my Blue Valley Quilters' Guild meeting.   Lots of Quilts of Valor stuff to report.  Major success with that.

I've been working really, really hard on my Christmas gifts.  I made coaster sets for the women in my family and I have them bundled up.  I finished binding a Christmas quilt for myself (Yay!) and am halfway finished binding Parthena's butterfly baby quilt.  It will be finished by Thursday when I have my Modern Quilt Guild meeting.

I also sandwiched and quilted two new baby quilts that I started a couple days ago.  I used some charm packs and they really turned out to be lovely.  One I did straight line quilting from one corner of the quilt... just like a sunburst... and the other one, I went nuts with my darning foot and free-motioned big flowers...  Did some straight lines, too.  I like it.  It's sassy, just like my cousin who will be receiving it for her baby to be.

Then I did dishes (at midnight), made muffins for guild and picked up some toys around the house.  There are always toys around the house.  *sigh*

Had a fun date night without kids doing Christmas shopping with my hubby.  Marked a lot off my list.  Even went out for Oklahoma Joe's BBQ!  Yum.

So I think I will have at least 5 quilts to show at guild tomorrow and Thursday.  Not too shabby!  Gotta get em bound...

Why I quilt

My boys and their babies, pretending to nap

For Hallie

My cousin andy sister are both having babies & are both due may 1. Crazy, eh?

So I predicted my sister would have a boy. Made a boyish quilt. Wrong! It's a girl! Iris Kate.

I got my cousin's right. A girl! Hallie hale (family name). She will have a butterfly quilt. I'm ready to put the blocks together, but I want that to be a shower gift in the spring.

I am thinking it'd be nice to have something to unwrap for the babies under the tree at Christmas.

So I'm using some stash to make a couple quick quilts. Smaller than their big quilts...

Here's the one I'm working on for my cousin. Made of Oz by Moda. I'm a sucker for Moda.






Also, I'm working on that girl, that quilt along. Am behind but I'm more than 3/4ths of the way there. Here's an action shot:





Still sick. No rest to speak of last night. Marathon videos for the kids today. I have no voice. :(

Sick and Tired

I'm sick.  My kids are sick.

Runny noses. Congestion.  Crazy bad coughs.

So tired of this.

I retreated to my sewing room tonight.  Sewed on a label for a Quilt of Valor and washed 3.  I still have 1 more label... and I need to wash 3 more...  Awarding them Saturday night to 6 Korean War Vets.   Air Force Officers.

Then, I worked really hard on my That Girl, That Quilt Along project and might have the blocks assembled in one more setting.  I used 2 charm packs and put two borders on each square.  2 different color schemes.  It will be a big quilt for Owen.  Suits his personality.  Wee Woodlands is the fabric.  Love it.

Then, I made a bunch of 4 patches out of some charm packs I've been collecting.  You know, 1 charm pack is NOT enough to make a baby quilt.  Not a proper sized one, anyways...  Must remember to buy some coordinating yardage or FQs to go with.

I do have a decent collection of Oz and also a charm pack.  Am making a quick baby quilt out of those for my cousin, Kristen.  She's having a baby girl in May!  I'm already making her that Butterfly Quilt, but I don't want to give it to her yet... And it's not ready anyways... But I want her to have something under the tree for the baby at Christmas... So I'll throw together a smaller quick baby quilt out of my Oz. She's naming the baby "Hallie"...  After our grandparents, "Harold" and "Sallie".  I think that's really sweet.

Also worked on a couple of other charm packs.  The Hoot charm pack is going with some Bella Solids.  Not sure how it will end up, but I ran out of time.  I also made 4 patches of my Lily and Will charm pack.  If it's going to be a quilt, I'll have to add some solid pieces to it...  May buy some FQ's... I'm needing one more quick baby quilt for my sister, Katie.  I'd like to give her another quilt since the one I made previously is more boyish.  She's having a girl.  Iris Kate will be her name.  Due on the same day as Hallie!  May 1.

As nice as it was to spend so much time in my sewing room, you'd think I'd be happy.  I'm not.  It's almost 3 am.  No sleep for me yet.  Wyatt keeps having coughing fits and bad dreams, all of which require Mommy's quick attention.  Owen has been coughing too, but at least he is falling back to sleep.  He's been sick longer than the rest of us, so I think he's starting to get over his sickness.  I was 2nd... I'm feeling it deep in my chest.  *sigh*

***

PS.  Did I mention that hubby is out of town?  Has been since Tues.  Is coming home tomorrow, tho.  :D

My favorite ornaments

Just a few...

Grandma Nell's Old Quilt

Can you see the hand quilting?


And where there's a hole in the front, you can see the cotton that my great grandmother likely grew, picked, carded and used for batting.


I rescued this. It helped keep my furniture from getting scratched during one of my many moves during college. I decided it needed to live with me, not my dad.


I don't use it much and it certainly isn't the nicest quilt of Grandma Nell's that I have. But it's still warm and it has character.

My Modern Quilt Guild Challenge Entry

My Modern Quilt Guild Challenge Entry, originally uploaded by nkiblueeyes.

I have finished my Modern Quilt Guild Challenge quilt!

It will be a gift for my sister, Katie. She lives in Houston and will find out Tuesday if she is having a girl or a boy. I'm betting on a boy...

This quilt was inspired by a quilt I saw on Flickr (see below). I love blue and the two tones on this quilt really made it special to me. I've always loved the log cabin block, but the idea of making a liberated one made me excited to try it.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/12260277@N07/4265049746/in/faves-25806308@N00/