Where did January go??

Sheesh, this month is basically gone!! And I must say I feel like I have not managed to get much done!!  However, I did finish that sweet little backpack for the wee missy, I have a table runner almost complete, and 2 dresses cut out...just need to sew them together!! Had 2 birthday parties for the wee miss.

Along, with that was the every day stuff such as working full time, trying to make headway on the purging and cleaning of the home, working on arts and crafts with the kids and all the daily little life errands...AND the flu...oh that flu :(

FINALLY, everyone is healthy and just dealing with wee miss and some teething (which is almost done too..woohooo )

So, my plans for this weekend is to finish up that table runner, and maybe even the dresses. The dresses I was going to originally make for the girls for Christmas, but just ran out of time, so now I am determined to have them ready for Easter. The trick will be keeping them a surprise!!

Then I can move on to some other projects. Miss K really wants to get some more time on the sewing machine, so I think we will make some bean bags that she can take to the daycare. This way it teaches her sewing, and the great feeling of giving. I am sure that both her brother and sister will join in on this fun as well.

Ending on a sweet note, my dear son told me today "Mom, I am going to give you 20 pounds of smooches!!" Awwww, he is such a little sweetheart <3

Last Quilt of 2011

I love to sew, and with quilting I only began that about  2-2 1/2 years ago. There is always a reason as to why I make things, whether it is a gift, or a special outfit for the kids. But every now and then, there is a special reason to make something, and this was what the last quilt of 2011 was for me.

Just over 2 years ago, my father-in-law passed away after a long battle with cancer. My brother in law, brought over some of my father in laws shirts to make a quilt (we both ended up having the same idea without talking to one another) I had these shirts for over a year. They sat in a box and I pondered how I was going to make this special keepsake for mother-in-law.  Finally, I thought I would make a rag quilt. I was short on time with deciding to have it ready for Christmas. So, one night when the kids were in bed I cut up all the shirts. This step I had to do while the kids were sleeping as all 3 of my kids LOVE scissors and cutting, so I did not want them to get the idea to cut up their own cloths. Once all the squares were cut up, the kids and I sat there and sewed them together. Each passing be squares, but they were careful in not giving me two of the same square in a row. Eventually, all squares were sewn together, and wow were there 3 happy kids!!

Then came the snipping...I can honestly say that definitely took much longer than I thought it would...lol

This is what it looked like once it was all snipped. Not too bad for making a rag quilt with really having no idea.  But I can say I really learned a lot making this one :)

I finished this quilt 1 hour before I had to leave to give this quilt to mother-in-law.  She fell in love with the quilt when she first saw it, but when we told her to actually look at the fabric that was used, she realized that those were the shirts of my father-in-law. She cried and hugged the quilt, and all she could say was thank you. This quilt, really meant a lot and I am so happy that I was able to make this memory quilt for her!

She's two!!

Well, my sweet little girl turned 2 this week!! Where has the time gone!! I am so proud of her, she is such a sweet thing. She is a petite little girl, she has finally hit the 20 pound mark! But she is such a kind little soul and she is such a cuddle bug. Oh she just melts my heart :)

Her sibling were much more excited about her birthday that she was.  The twins are 4, so now they are understanding things and really getting into these celebrations and milestones.  K is my big helper.  This year we decided to make little miss a backpack of her own (I used this Moda bakeshop pattern and made some of my own changes along the way). So off to the fabric store we all went (and this I must say was a big challenge with 4 year old twins and an almost 2 year old!!) to look for just the right fabric for this special backpack. K being the girl that she is, and one who already LOVES fabric and sewing, went right to the pinks. I let K pick out the fabric for her sisters backpack. Oh and how I wish I had a camera handy to take a picture of her. She was very proud of her choice and carried the bolt of fabric. (Yup, I am a proud mama that my kids are right into the sewing). Once we found the fabric, off to the buttons to find just the right one. My little man W took charge of this. He carried the buttons and thread all the way home :)

Once we finally got the chance to get going, the twins helped me cut the fabric (that would be watching mainly, but also included smoothing out fabric, and taking away the scraps which they always claim). Then the pinning. The would take turns handing me the pins, and in between passing me pins, they would pin their scraps, and they are amazing as they know to be very careful with the pins as they are sharp and can be pokey.

I was able to do most of the sewing when they were asleep, but the last bit of sewing I had to do, they were there right beside me. K was so excited when it was done, she was very content with the finished product. On   little misses birthday, I think that K was more excited to give it, than little miss was to receive it. And let me tell you, little miss was over the moon excited. She wore the backpack for at least an hour, and now uses it daily!

Here are some pictures of the finished product (sadly I do not have any pictures of little miss using this just yet!) I just love this backpack. I have made a few of these already, it really is a great simple pattern!

Here is the finished product. Love the choice of fabric

here is the button that we chose, I love the detail

back view of the backpack

and the inside, I used the same fabric as the outside

So, this was my first finish of 2012.  I have a few projects that I need to finish, and I am hoping to have a great successful year in completing many things and getting lots of sewing time in. I need to research methods of Quilt As You Go techniques. I have a fantastic sewing machine, but its just a tiny domestic machine, and the throat is just not big enough to handle a quilt for quilting. And since a new quilting machine is not in my budget, the next best thing I can think of is QAYG techniques. Does anyone have any ideas of great resources, or tutorials or books that would show me some great ways to complete quilts this way?

Hope you all have a great weekend!!

C :)

Great start to the year!

I had decided that this year, I was going to try and do things a bit different for New Years Day.  This year, the kids and I stayed home, in our jammies all day long! We played games, built puzzles, watched a few movies.  Cuddled lots...ahhh it was wonderful. I also did manage to tackle the ginormous mountain of laundry, and get a few other wee household tasks done.

I must say that it was wonderful to just relax, enjoy and not have to rush around. The kids were in great moods, helpful, happy and pleasant!  If the rest of the year follows suit, well then I am thinking that 2012 is going to be a wonderful year :)

Tomorrow I will be breaking out the sewing machine to get some things finished for my wee girls birthday coming up this week!

Have a great day all!