family baby....again

I have yet another cousin (his wife actually) that is going to have a baby....this one is a girl...just a few pictures of the quiltie that I sent off to them last week....I was really pleased with how this turned out....the gray, turqouise and pink :)



tutorial/pattern found at Ohfrasson.com (for some reason I can't link it right now!)

Hard to see but from the right, the second row....the 3rd fabric up (looks like 3 swirly flowers) that fabric was cut from a pillowcase that I took from my parents home when my Grandpa was moving out. :( I enjoyed throwing a little bit of nastalgia in the quiltie.

upclose



And here is an upclose shot of my little guy Jack, is this hat not the cutest? I did not make it, I don't know how to crochet or knit....a sister of a friend made it....we all love it.

a new baby in the family

A cousin of mine had a baby on Wednesday, a little girl......

Can you guess her name?

pillows

I have been making some pillow covers recently, trying to change things up a bit in the family room and my bedroom. I am an easy peasy girl, nothing too complicated or time consuming for me, all of these have an envelope enclosure on the back so I can just take it off, throw it in the washer or put it away and put a different one on, no ties, buttons, snaps etc. (not yet anyway)



This one might be my all time favorite, this is a picture of my nephew Garrett, oh my gosh this kid is a cutie!

Garrett

Here is the back, I love using chenille for the backing, so cozy

Here is a pillow I made a while ago, this was a feed sack that I had found at a local garage sale several years ago, I like this one a lot too because it has Spokane on it. :)

I got the idea for this one at a local quilt shop, this is a Moda napkin and all I did was use chenille again for backing....this one has a vintage drawing of Oregon and Washington on it, one of my brothers lives in Oregon {so does Garrett :(} and the rest of my family lives in Washington so it is fun to have a little hometown feel on this pillow too. :)

first fish

A little boy went fishing with his dad and cousin yesterday.....caught HIS first fish....he caught THE only fish!



Jack enjoying the only fish at the dinner table last night

where have I been?

Jeezo I can't believe it has been a month since I last posted....I don't think I have ever gone that long w/o a post since I started blogging. OOPS! Truth be told....I took my quilting thing so far these past 3 years that I just got BURNED OUT. It only took 3 years but after finishing up all my WIPS, gifts, my large "to do" sewing list....I just could not even stomach looking at a quilt blog let alone even blogging about any more quilts....is there such thing as "quilt burnout"? Well if so I had it....started creeping around December....I did not even sign up for any flickr swaps and I used to be one of those flickr members that would be there, online just waiting for the opportunity to be first in line to enter another swap....yet more swap burnout....so along that line I have not sewn a darn thing in quite awhile and I am happy as a clam about it.....because now I have a new obsession.....my house!

This sounds really stupid but after stepping away from my sewing machine and actually spending some time in other rooms in my house....I started thinking about how much I have neglected my home these past few years....so...out with the old in with the new! I also became a wee bit addicted to craigslist! (yeah from one obsession to a completely different one!) We also are right now in the finishing stages of totally gutting the original 31 year old bathroom in our home to everything being replace, repainted...all new...here is a picture of Emily during the demo.

Soon....the before and after pictures, really soon....I might have to start sleeping in this bathroom...it is going to be so nice, so cozy(as cozy as a room with a toilet in it can get) I am just so excited about all this....



One more thing....I sold my Flea Market Fancy quilt in January....got just about what I asked for it so I was thrilled....and now...something else new....see the etsy box on the side of my blog....I am starting to sell some different things that have peaked my interest lately....nothing sewn yet....at least not yet....to be continued.....be back soon!

I love this kid

my sweet nephew Garrett, born 1 year ago today....love you little buddy...love Auntie :)

wobbowee teef

Our little guy last night, 1 month from being 5 lost his first tooth. I can't believe he is losing teeth already! It just seems like yesterday those little bottom teeth were starting to poke up through his gums.....Here he is, so proud holding up his "toof".



I LOVE this picture, so excited! He called Grandma and Grandpa to tell them the news!!!

I will be registering this little guy for kindergarten (KINDERGARTEN!?!?!?) next month. I can't believe that either. I am speechless about him going to school, and believe me, I am not speechless very often. I know people tell me time flies but it really has with this little dude. He has been my little buddy all these years, me and him while daddy is at work and big sister has been in school....2 days a week it is just he and I, no pre-k for those days, just hanging with dear ol mom, or MUDDER as he calls me, or Grandmudder sometimes too....don't ask...ok...my husband's "term of endearment" for me is Mother...yep...my family calls me Mother...so do some of my friends, but really I like it. :)

A Queen sized finish

Last year (February 8th) was my parents 40th Wedding Anniversary. In 2008 I joined a block of the month club and ended up using those blocks to put together this quilt for my parents. I was at a loss of what to do to tie them all together (hmmm word to the wise, spend the money and buy the finishing kit next time, duh!) Because there were so many stars and points in the blocks I made a big ol' Ohio Star for the center, framed all the blocks, then sashed all the blocks and this is what I came up with. It still drives me crazy that after measuring, adding, subtracting, all of the things I don't like in quilting (yet another reason I don't make patterns, I buy them!) I set 2 of the rows a bit off, uhg.......

But I don't think my parents cared. :) (or noticed for that matter!)

Happy 41st Anniversary Mom and Dad, enjoy your Queen sized quilt, I am never making one that big again. :) Love your daughter :)

future quilter in training

Emily got a little sewing machine for Christmas, she was so, sew excited! She has been begging me to show her how to quilt/sew for a long time. Here she is for her first "session" of sewing. I don't think she had sewed yet because once she pushed the petal and everything started doing it's thing, she got really scared about how fast the needle was moving.


This picture I only took because of blogging and scrap booking because I normally would NOT have had my eye off the needle/7 year old hands! But here we are mother and daughter, me helping her make a blanket for her other favorite Christmas gift, an American Girl doll.

Concentrating! I wanted her first project to be really simple so we sandwiched some chenille, batting and fabric together to make a little blanket then turned it inside out and sewed the hole shut so we (as in ME) did not have to do any binding.

Here she is turning the blanket inside out, note the tongue, concentrating very hard.

Emily was very proud of herself and promptly covered her doll in the fuzzy, warm blanket. I on the other hand do not think I make a good "teacher." :/ it was totally stressing me out! Hopefully the next project both she and I will be a bit more comfortable behind the peddle!

last big project of 2010

Everyone in our home has a quilt on their bed made by me. :) Several people now in my extended family also have quilts from me now too. :) Last spring our 15 year old nephew came to live with us. It was a VERY hard transition for ME, not him but ME. Greg lived with us from March until mid June then moved back to his dad's. My husband and I knew it was a matter of time when Greg came back, not if Greg came back. Greg came back to live with us at the beginning of October and will be staying with us until he graduates in 2 1/2 years unless things really change at his former home. With all of this being said, I knew if Greg was going to be living in our house, he too needed his own quilt made by me.

This is what I came up with.
He loves it, I love it, I am so happy with how this turned out. I backed the quilt with fleece to make it extra snuggly and warm and it does. :)

I went through all of my stash and started pulling out fabrics with oranges and blues, I think it turned out really well. What I was most happy about with this quilt is my quilting, I made sure to use my walking foot this time and TAKE MY TIME. I have a tendency to rush myself at the end of a project, just want to get it done and zip through the quilting part and have had some big ol' puckers on the front and back for doing so. Not this one, I was so, so happy with it.

Greg's mom passed away last Thanksgiving, he has had for a 16 year old kid a really rough road, but the best thing about Greg? He is a GREAT kid and he is now one of my kids too, I always wanted 3 kids, now I do. :)

(Tutorial for quilt found here)

Happy Birthday to my MOM!

My mom said growing up having a birthday so close to Christmas was a pain, I though find it even more special because in addition to celebrating Jesus's birth this time of year we also get to celebrate the birth of my mom!

Happy 66th Birthday Mom!

a gift for my Grandpa

I posted in October about a special visit from my 91 year old Grandpa (seen here meeting the youngest Great-Grandchild, Garrett). My Grandpa lives in Florida so so far away.




Even though the temperatures are usually warm in Florida I wanted to make my Grandpa a nice throw, something to put over his legs on a "chilly" Florida night.



Looking good so far?

Here is my finished product, I wanted something that was bright and cheery for him to have in his home. I sent it off to him a little early, wanted him to enjoy it as soon as possible. When he received it the weather had been unseasonably cold down there and he told me he has been putting it to good use, yeah!!

Here is my label, it turned out really cute! I joined Sweetwater's monthly label crew club and with every months project you also recieve a personalized label. December's was perfect, all I had to add was a little personalization, iron and then stich it on and I was done. I was really happy with how this special throw came together. I only wish I would have made one sooner and sent it down for my Grandmother to enjoy before she passed in August. At least I did it soon enough for my Grandpa to enjoy. Merry Christmas Grandpa!

Halloween 2010

A few pictures of my "trick or treaters" from Sunday.

Little Em showing some "cattidude"

ARRGHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

This was the 3rd year in a row that we trick-or-treated with my brother, sister-in-law and niece (above as a witch). My brother lives two blocks from my parents so we are trick-or-treating the same neighborhood we grew up in.

This is my dad, answering the door at the house I grew up in, TRICK OR TREAT!

full of family

The beginning of October was so busy for me. We had a nice big family get together, most of which was spent at our home, which was fine with me....I would not have wanted it any other way. My oldest brother turned 40 on October 1st and for about a year we had been chit chatting and planning all of my family to be together for the weekend of his birthday. (my nephew Garrett wearing a shirt that his FAVORITE Auntie (that would be me) gave him that says "my aunt rocks".

Little did we know that during our earlier chit chats and planning that we were going to be blessed with a very special guest that weekend. My 91 year old Grandpa from Florida. (My oldest brother lives in Portland, OR the rest of us live in the Spokane area). My Grandpa had been the only care giver of my Grandmother for 10+ years and she passed away in the beginning of August...after she passed my dad asked my Grandpa if he wanted to come up for the "Birthday weekend." It was the best gift ever.

Months ago I saw a quilt pattern and I immediately had my brother in mind for it, he had no idea that I had made him his own "Auntie blanket" (as his family calls them) Christina from "The Sometimes Crafter" did the quilting on it, she did a great job, as you can see my brother loves it. (I also just won a book from Christina's blog, yeah me).
(not the best picture of my brother, but this is what he did after opening it, wrapped himself up in it. :)

The label :)

Michael's 40th Birthday quilt

up close of the stitching

So here is a picture of my Grandpa, I just loved the time we spent with him, I was so, so sad after everyone left on Monday, my house was so quite....during the weekend it was loud with laughing, stories, kids running around but like I said earlier I would not have wanted it any other way, I too was bursting at the seams but with happiness.

my little family

Had some family pictures taken this past weekend. Had a very special person come visit us and gave my brother a special 40th Birthday present, hint hint...there is fabric involved....more to come :)

saying goodbye

Last week our family had to say goodbye to a good friend, our black lab Lou. Poor thing had at least two strokes over the weekend and there was nothing the vet could do for the guy. My husband had Lou since 1998, he was 12 years old this month....

I will admit I am NOT an animal person, I can't understand how people pamper something that has four legs, all that hair and does not potty in a toilet....oh yeah and eats out of a bowl....but Lou was a package deal when I met my husband and he was such a good dog with our kids....I will spare you the heart breaking picture of my daughter saying her final good byes before my husband took him to the vet last Monday morning....Goodbye old friend...things are not the same around here....a lot quieter, a lot less hair, the floors are cleaner though but we all miss you running up to the car when we get home or barking at the front door when you wanted to come in.....you are missed even by this non animal loving gal....love you much. :0

giving back

Yesterday our family made a visit to the Hospice House of Spokane. This time it was for a happy occasion. I have blogged about my in-laws before, both my in-laws passed away 6 months apart, both at The Hospice House in 2008. Not long after they passed my husband asked if I would make a quilt that we could donate, later we decided on making one for each of them.


My handsome hubbie with the special delivery yesterday.

In Memory of my Mother-in-Law Carol.

In Memory of my Father-in-Law Gary.

From our wedding October 2004.

I must admit it was a bit surreal pulling into the parking lot again, full of cars....I found myself remembering back to doing that so many times before, my husband mentioned he found himself looking for his brother's cars in the parking lot. We instructed the kids to be on their best behavior and to be so, so quiet when Jack realized what was going on he got a little excited and said "Grandma and Grandpa are here???" that broke my heart....It felt good to give back to the place that helped my in-laws so much during their final days. I found myself thinking about the patients that would be using these quilts and their families saying goodbye to their loved ones and so happy that my husband asked me to make something so special like a quilt that gives comfort and warmth to people just like his parents did to him. We miss you Carol and Gary so, so much.