finally....flea market fancy finished

(sorry about the bad lighting on this picture!) Here it is....the largest quilt I have made to date, my Flea Market Fancy quilt. Every fabric on this is from the out of print Denyse Schmidt line (Flea Market Fancy). I started collecting these prints about 18 months ago and last December started cutting into them...I am so glad I did, I am so glad I don't have all of that fabric just folded up in a drawer (although I did open that drawer quite often to look at the loveliness of all of it). (click on the photo's to see the quilting upclose) Now I am going to make a pillow or two for my bed, I thought about pillowcases but I think I am going to go with some solids for those and make some fun patchwork throw pillows instead, use up more of the remaining fabric. It felt so good to use this, when I was done I actually sold the larger pieces on eBay....I figured it was someone else's turn to enjoy it.

These are two of my favorite blocks. Honestly if I would have had yardage and yardage of these prints I could have seen myself making an entire quilt with just these colors, so pretty.

I did get all of the bindings done on all of my quilts, I only jabbed myself on my thumb a few times and under the nail of my thumb a few times less, OUCH that hurts! It feels good to get all of these projects finished up....now we just need to make a trip to The Hospice House to donate 2 of them. I am getting closer and closer to finishing up a quilt for my parents 40Th Anniversary (it was in February!) I hopefully bought the last of the fabric I need for the sashing, then after putting all of the top together will only need some yardage for a border or two then I.will.be.done.with.that.thank.God. :/

I had to go!!

The Farm Chicks (Serena) has opened a little store close to downtown Spokane, "if you build it they will come!" I had to go!! So I did, this morning with my partner in crime, my 4 year old Jack. sooooooo cute, all the red, white, pink and blue!

Jack enjoyed playing with the vintage truck, he informed me he was putting this on his "list" for Christmas/birthday, good luck with that one son, this did not have a price on it, not for sale little one.

There were t-shirts, hoodies, baseball hats, (I am getting one of those!) darling paper items, candles, cupcake wrappers, posters, necklaces, coffee cups (want one of those too!)

They were giving out little coupons for free ice cream in the parking lot, darling ice cream truck huh? And it was YUMMO!

Here is Jack outside the store, check out the front door, it is covered in The Farm Chick's trademark cuteness!

I only bought these two items, I kept it under 10.00 (whoo hoo!) until payday and like I mentioned one of the hats will be mine!! I got myself a measuring tape because you can NEVER have enough of those and this vintage Kerr jelly glass container with lid, I love it...the color is not red and it isn't pink either, it is kinda a watermelon color....I could have bought a bunch of these but I had some self control.........this time........:)

To see way better pictures and a little article from another local blog, check this out

finished doll quilt swap

finished doll quilt swap
Originally uploaded by kristinemhanson

It ended up a little on the smaller side, BUT I had never done paper piecing like this, I did not want to muck it up anymore then I did by cutting off a few of the points! All in all I am really happy with this little one and I hope my partner is too....included with the mini is a little something for a little someone in their household and some goodies for the quilter of the house too. :)

fabric shopping with a new friend

I can't remember exactly when but some time ago (at least a year) a fellow quilter/blogger and I figured out we both grew up in the same little city, Spokane WA. (I live just outside Spokane, but I always say I am from Spokane) Leigh lives in Utah and was in town last week with her family on vacation. We were able to meet up for lunch and some fabric shopping....we both had a great time. I can't say I have ever shopped specifically just for fabric with someone before and I could easily see myself doing it again with Leigh....I don't recall many lulls in the conversations...we talked about blogging, family, kids, religion, Spokane, quilting...you name it...I had a great afternoon and we were both kid free! :)
Some of the fabric I picked up are these beauties....I LOVE LOVE LOVE these clocks!! So stinkin cute! I showed it to my husband and he immediately could pick out a clock that he remembers his Grandparents having....I already have set aside some of this for my doll quilt swap partner as a goody to go with her mini.

And these glasses, my daughter just loved them....she picked out a pair that look similar to hers.

If I am ever in Salt Lake I will have to do some fabric shopping with Leigh....it is more probable that she will be back in Spokane sooner then I would go to Utah (you never know though) and I hope we can do it again....it was so nice to put a name with a face and a voice and just chit chat in person....thanks Leigh!

moosh and goosh

This is my nephew Garrett....OH MY!!!!!!!!!! I just love this little guy....my mom, sister-in-law, niece, my 2 knuckleheads (Emily and Jack) and I took a road trip to Portland earlier this week (that would be about a 7 hour drive) to see Garrett and his sister, mom and dad (dad is my older brother). I was holding Garrett in one hand for the picture, camera in the other, bit of a balancing act with a wiggly little guy. Is he not the cutest thing? ACK!!! My sister-in-law that lives here in town with me, we were trying to figure out a way to pack him up in our luggage and take him home....my niece on the other hand is going through the "terrible threes" right now and my brother can keep her for a bit longer. :)

I love being an Auntie......there is just something about the children of your siblings....so special....my nieces and someday nephew call me "Auntie" my oldest niece did not even know what my name was until about a year ago....I still don't think she believes anyone that my name is really Kristine....but I will take Auntie any day.....Garrett and I will be reunited again in October when our Portland family comes up here for the 7 hour drive (enter evil laugh here) Until then I will just drool over the photos that I have...maybe have my brother FedEx something of Garrett's so I can smell him again....no diapers though, he can keep those and the 3 year old LOL!

got binding?

Over the 4th of July weekend I hooked up with my local quilter....they had 3 of my quilts and they were finally finished (I gave all 3 of them to them in March!) While in Portland earlier this week I was not able to meet up with my non-local quilter personally but she dropped 2 throws off at the hotel I was staying at....so I have 5 quilts or throws that need to be bound. I do like binding though....where to start? where to start? I am actually going to start with the quilt that is 4th from the top (the charm squares with the aqua and lime green sashing) that one is for me.....I bought the pattern and the charm squares 3 years ago at a quilt shop on the Oregon Coast...I figure better late then never....it had been on my "to do" list for, well...3 years and it is almost done, yahoo!!

The quilt at the top is a gift for a certain someone I know turning 40 sometime (that is all I am going to say about that) #2 and #3 are for The Hospice House in Spokane where both my in-laws passed away in 2008 (6 months apart) and we are going to donate the quilts in memory of them.
Quilt #5 at the bottom of the pile is my Flea Market Fancy queen sized quilt for my hubs and I bedroom....I am not sure how I feel about this one....you know how you feel when you REALLY REALLY REALLY want something....you get it....then you wonder why you wanted it so bad? That is how I feel about this quilt...maybe I will fall in LOVE with it after the binding is on and it is on my bed....I am nervous about all the white....I am sick about using a sheet for the sashing and not Kona cotton (that is my biggest regret with this quilt) I am afraid the white is going to get dingy and icky like a set of white sheets would get if Pigpen from Charlie Brown had it....I dunno.........right now I am in a sea of binding though....gotta go....wish me luck.....

a work in progress

I am finally getting around to working on my blocks for Penny's "quilt as you go" quilt a long....OH MY GOSH, these are so fun!!! I was a little apprehensive at first....I thought the blocks would look a little strange but I have fallen in love with making these.....the biggest reason? You use bits and pieces of fabric and lordy, lordy do I have bits and pieces of fabric!! Several years ago I started taking all of my scraps and cutting them into 2" strips....so I had these BOXES of 2" strips...I am finally getting around to using them! I have had such a good time reminacing about projects, gifts, stores, friends, specific times in my life when pulling out these strips....some of this fabric I bought when I lived in Seattle oh so lonnnnnnnng ago. I am so glad I kept some of this fabric, just makes me smile....some of the fabric in these blocks are from my most recent projects and it might be laying next to a strip from a baby quilt I made 10+ years ago....when this project is done it will be like having a fabric scrapbook or photo album of so many of my favorite things. (I love that!)

I also like the fact that I don't have to send this off to be quilted, I am doing it as I go! AWESOME! This will be a work in progress, I don't have to finish it any time soon, I can work on a block here and there but I know already this is going to be a very special quilt for myself when it is all finished.

My husband, kids and I went camping for 4 nights over the 4th of July weekend. On Sunday my parents came over to our camp site for the afternoon. I love the fact that my parents are good sports about coming out "in the great outdoors" and spending time with my family. (Neither of my parents have ever camped) we (my hubs and I) are going to get them out one way or another even if it means renting a cabin in the same campground as us so they can expierence a weekend of camping. :)

This is my family with my parents on the 4th of July.