Best of Both Worlds

It's a Boy and a Girl!!

Pink AND Blue!

Blue Rag Edge Burp Cloth

Lavender/Pink Rag Edge Burp Cloth



Baby Quilt Project

 Okay everyone...the Gender Reveal party for my upcoming grandbabies was Friday night and...It's a Boy...and a Girl! That's right, one of each...the best of both worlds! My daughter and her husband are expecting a boy and my stepson and his wife (parents of my granddaughter) are expecting another baby girl. Very exciting! So, now that we know the genders of both little ones, that means it's fabric shopping time!! :)  We had a great time at the party...check out the photos!

Today I tested the burp cloth pattern that I posted the link for last week http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2008/01/burp-cloth-tutorial.html. I thought they turned out really great, but here are the photos, so judge for yourself. They were fairly simple to make, however, I did figure out that I really need to get my scissors sharpened! They are dull, dull, dull and cutting flannel with dull scissors wasn't much fun at all! I am also so used to using my rotary cutter to cut fabric, that going back to scissor cutting was a bit tedious. That being said, each burp cloth took only about 10 minutes or so to cut out and sew up...then I just had to cut around the edges and throw in the washer for that frayed edge look. I made a blue one and a lavender/pink one...in honor of my upcoming new grandson and granddaughter! I do believe I will make some more of these kinds of burp cloths, as well as the old standbys that I make using cloth diapers. It's nice to try something new!

Next weekend is a 3 day weekend for me, so I plan on getting some more sewing done. I am posting a a pic of the baby quilt top that I am working on. Perhaps I will get that finished next weekend! Oh, and I have a wedding to go to on Saturday! I bought the wedding gift yesterday, so I think I am set!

Lots to do this week...work...get a personal trainer...get my hair done...wedding...sewing...quilting!! What are you working on this week or over the 3 day weekend??

Happy Sewing and Quilting!!

Stay Tuned...Gender Reveal Tonight!

Well folks, tonight is the night we find out the gender of both of my upcoming grand babies!! I am so excited, and will finally know what color fabric to buy! 

It's been a busy week, so this post will be short and sweet. Since I have been going 900 miles an hour, no sewing this week, but this weekend I plan on sewing for babies! Quilt Country http://www.quiltcountry.com/, our local quilt shop, is having a Starbucks event tomorrow morning and some other things, so I will run over there in the morning! Might just have to pick up some fabric while I'm there! 

So...I will post again after I find out baby genders!! In the meantime, Happy Sewing and Quilting!!

Happy Monday Everyone!

I hope you had a good weekend! Mine was spent running errands, organizing and cleaning...and fighting with my really old computer to work! I really really meant to sew...but, by the time I got everything else done, the weekend was pretty much shot. Oh well...I will try again next weekend!

So, as you know, I am expecting 2 more grand babies in January...very exciting! Of course, that means sewing lots of baby items, like nursery sets, bibs, baby quilts and burp cloths. Speaking of burp cloths, I have a method of making burp cloths, which I have mastered over the past several years, but I was looking for a bit of a different style to make for the new babies. I found this really cute raggy edge pattern that I want to try. It's over here at http://homemadebyjill.blogspot.com/2008/01/burp-cloth-tutorial.html. After I finally got my computer working again yesterday, I printed out the pattern and will attempt to make it this week. I will post photos of the finished beta test product. 













We are having a gender reveal party Friday night for both my daughter and daughter-in-law. I'm very excited to be finding out the gender of both babies on the same night! Back in the day, we didn't have gender reveal parties for babies, or even half the time know what the gender was! With my girls, the doctors got it wrong on both accounts. I was told they were both going to be boys...um..nope! Well, I guess there is a 50/50 chance!

Oh, in my shopping spree...I mean running errands chore...this weekend, I bought a swaddling pattern that is so cute! http://www.simplicity.com/p-7471-babies-swaddling-sacks.aspx. I plan on making at least one for each baby! If you don't want to buy a swaddling pattern, just Google free ones. There are several out there that are pretty cute!

Well, that's it for today! I'll be back later this week. In the meantime...

Happy Sewing & Quilting

I will leave you with a cute parting photo of my granddaughter Miss L and her daddy! 

I wanted to thank you all for your love and support. I am truly blessed to have family, good friends and dear readers! 

My thoughts these days are running off in all directions, but mainly in the baby direction! I am so looking forward to 2 new grand babies...and at the SAME time! WOW! I was over at my oldest daughter's house last night and she is getting her nursery fixed up. I just can't believe my girl is having a baby!! Anyway, she has selected blue, gray and yellow for the nursery...and if it's a girl she will add a coral color. Very calming colors and I am excited to start making nursery things. My daughter-in-law...also expecting...does not have colors picked out yet, so her nursery may be a little more eclectic, which is fun too!

What is your favorite thing to make for a nursery? I ask because typically I sew burp cloths, baby blankets with Minkee and baby quilts. My daughter has requested a crib bed skirt, baby quilt, curtains, et al., so I had better get cracking...er...sewing! I have already purchased a dozen cloth diapers to make burp cloths out of. I have a fast easy technique that I will share with you in another post (after I have photos). It takes about 15-20 minutes to make one...start to finish! So, I can make a dozen in no time at all! Time to go through my fabric stash and select the fabric for everything!

Later friends...Happy Sewing and Quilting!

P.S. -- I wanted to share a photo of my new house...I call it my little doll house! It's tiny but it's mine and just right for me, 2 kitties and a grandchild or 2...or 3! :)

My Little Doll House!

Time and Unforeseen Occurrence...

My Dear Sweet Husband, Wally

Dear friends and fellow quilters, 
It has been more than a year since I posted here, and not because I quit posting, but "...time and unforeseen occurrence befall us all..." --Ecclesiastes 9:11. The past 18 months have been the most difficult of my entire life due to the untimely and very sudden death of my dear beloved husband, Wally. He was my best friend and love of my life and I have been truly devastated by his loss. So please, I beg of you, to bear with me as I restart my life and begin to quilt again. I had stopped quilting for a long time, but am so happy to report that I am back to it! My husband was my biggest quilting supporter, so when I thought about quilting or tried to go back into my sewing room, it was just too difficult for me. But, I bought myself a little house (my doll house) near my children and granddaughter and am restarting my life! I have a new job also...a lot of "new things" in my life. 

And while these past 18 months have been most difficult, there have been some very happy moments for me. My oldest daughter got married! The wedding was beautiful and I was so proud and happy for her. Of course, it was 6 weeks after my husband passed, so I was just a little out of it for the wedding! But I enjoyed it very much. I am also happy to report that the happy couple is expecting their first child in January!! We don't know the gender yet, but I am sorting through both pink and blue fabric! 

My granddaughter is nearly 4 years old now! Yes, she is getting so big! I am also happy to report that her mother (my daughter-in-law) is also expecting in January! That will make me a grandmother of 3!! And so is the cycle of life...endings and beginnings. We will find out the gender of both expected babies in 2 weeks...so stay tuned for that announcement!!

In the coming weeks, I will start writing my blog again and posting photos of quilts, sewing, embroidery...oh, and my granddaughter! I have a couple of new embroidery projects I am working on that I am excited about. And of course, some baby quilts in the works! My granddaughter has requested that I make her poor doll, with only one dress, some more clothes, so stay tuned for doll dress making! I may have a few tips on that! I hope you will follow along on my journey of healing and restarting my life through fabric arts.

I wish you much peace and happiness. Hug your families and treasure the time you have with them.

Until next time, Happy Sewing and Quilting!

The Happy Couple

My Granddaughter, Miss L (as I like to call her!)

Finishing 2011 Projects...2012 Projects Coming Up!

Alien Baby Quilt

One of the cute little aliens!



Another cute little alien!



Youngest daughte and GBaby Lily!

GBaby loves cake pops!

Grandpa & GBaby Lily!

No, I have not dropped off the face of the planet...as some of you must have thought by now! My hours at work have increased so much that when I get home in the evenings I am a brain dead zombie...and that does not lead to beautiful sewing! So, hopefully this grueling work schedule will end soon and I will be back on a normal schedule and back to sewing, quilting and posting!

A couple of things before I begin on the projects...finished and not finished. First of all, my humble and delayed apologies to Bebas Enterprises LLC. In previous posts I had mentioned that I really love the Salem cutting mats, but unbeknownst to me, there were some legal issues with the folks who bought out Salem and...long story short, to get these great mats please go to http://www.bebasboutique.com/ to buy them, or call 1-888-209-4087! They are no longer called Salem, but are now Bebas cutting mats. They are truly the best cutting mats you can buy! Bebas Boutique also sells other items as well, so check it out!

So we are getting ready for my oldest daughter's wedding at the end of March. It is pretty much planned and we just have to wrap up the small details, but there are the wedding showers, etc in te next few months too. Anyway, I am sure that I will be somewhat busy with all of that, so if you don't see me posting here as much as last year, don't worry, I will try to check in at least once a month...hopefully more!

I did actually finish a baby quilt the first of December!! This one only took me about 7 months!! Hahahaha...mostly 7 months of not working on it...but you get the idea. I call it "Alien Baby Quilt" because it has some of the cutest little aliens on it (photos above). I really like the way it turned out and would love to keep it, but it was for a commission....and I do need the money...so I will be delivering it next week! Hubby really likes it and is sort of hoping the buyer will decide not to buy it...uh...I don't think so!! But, thanks Hubby for liking my work so much!!

Still working on my youngest daughter's quilt...months later! Well, the good news is the top is done!!! (yeah!) I actually bought the backing at the Des Moines Quilt Show in October, just need to baste, quilt, bind and present!!

Also still working on embroidering kitty dish towels for the kitchen! I am on the second one now and these are actually coming right along. Oh...and for all of you embroiderers out there a couple of great embroidery websites...
http://www.needlenthread.com/
This is Mary Corbet's website and she does some beautiful embroidery, also has tutorials online for various stitches and techniques...
http://www.sublimestitching.com/
This is Jenny Hart's website and features some very unique embroidery designs for sale..as her tag line states "This ain't your gramma's embroidery"...and it surely isn't.

Check out these great websites and get your embroidery on in 2012!

My 2012 projects...sigh...the list is long!! I am prepping my first t-shirt quilt for my future son-in-law...he is a firefighter, so the t-shirts are all his fire fighter, EMS shirts. I am hunting appropriate fabric right now, but have the t-shirts cut up and will get the fusible web put on shortly. There are two quilts I have ready to quilt or have started quilting, that I would dearly love to finish in the upcoming year! I also want to do a few of the Karen Eckmeier wall hangings (http://www.kareneckmeier.com/) this year. These are so great, fast and fun to do! I have done a few of them, but really want to do more, like the tropical one with palm trees for my living room! Fabric for a Dr. Seuss quilt is sitting in my sewing room calling out to be made into a quilt, as is a mountain of other fabric! Oh...and then there is the long neglected Pirate Quilt...yes, I am stuck on the last block and once that issue is resolved, I can finish the block and move on to finishing the quilt! What are your 2012 sewing/quilting/embroidery projects? Post your comments, so I can feel like I am not the only one with piles of projects!!

Oh, and have I mentioned my sweet GBaby Lily??! She is 26 months now (I know...time flies) and smart and beautiful too! We don't get to keep her near as often as we did when we were jobless, but still get to keep her about once a month. She has such a great sense of humor for a 2 year old...reminds me much of my youngest daughter at that age! What? Photos of her...why of course I will post photos of her!! Need you even ask?

Well, that's it for now! I have some tutorials in my head that I need to get onto this blog, so hopefully that will happen in the next month or so! Keep checking in here...and post your comments!

Happy Sewing and Quilting right into 2012!!!

Iowa Vacation & Quilt Show

Cool Quilt from Quilt Show!

At the Living History Farm

Happy Monday Everyone!

We had a fabulous time on vacation in Iowa and I had a great time at the AQS Des Moines Quilt Show http://aqsshows.com/AQSDesMoines/. I attended the show with my cousin...also a quilter...and we bought fabric, took photos and sat in on a couple of demos. I am trying to get all of the photos uploaded, so bear with me and check back often for the photos. Posting a few of them today (see above). We also visited the old family farm in Ames, Iowa...I spent every summer there until I was 15... so great memories going back there. In Des Moines we also visited the Living History Farms http://www.lhf.org/ ...very interesting and lots of quilts there too!  Hubby drove the whole way...thank you, thank you! The weather was beautiful and the food was great too!

Still working on embroidering tea towels and finishing up a baby quilt on commission and my youngest daughter's quilt. Oh...I purchased the back for my daughter's quilt at the quilt show in Des Moines! Went to my favorite vendor Sew Batik http://www.sewbatik.com/ to buy the back fabric. I love, love Sew Batik and visit their booth at the Dallas Quilt Show every year, so I was very excited to find them at the Des Moines Quilt Show too! I also bought some other batik fabric there too! Of course, working full-time is slowing down my quilt production, but we all do what we can!

Check back soon for the quilt show photos! Gotta run for now!

Happy Sewing and Quilting!