Monday - Updates and "One thousand and More Gifts"

Its been awhile since I blogged. While i determined to blog more often, its not an easy habit to get into. I feel like I only bore you all!

So... I am currently binding up my Rainbow Quilt (see previous posts) and started on the next one. Im doing the
Marshmallow Brochette Quilt Along but with my own nutty choices. I just did rainbow, and dont want to do it again. Angeliques birthday is coming up so she chose these fabrics.

Mix of Robert Kaufman Solids and Central Park by Kate Spain

We did have a blast this weekend, we joined a new group at meetup called the "nonhikers hiking club" and took a few fun pictures. The girls had a blast!

Half way up the trail we stopped on a ledge and took this photo:

 At the very top of the trail (before we looped back) we saw the Siamese Twins. (this was at Garden of the Gods).

When we finished we headed to old colorado city and I got my picture with one of my favorite weather men, Brian Bledsoe (little did i realize the man in the cap near him was my other favorite Branden Borreman!!). Shucks!

I think it was a good week... now to my One thousand and More Gifts:
11. feeling the sunburn on my scalp and being grateful that we even had sun for a weekend.
12. watching the girls learn the value of a good hike
13. seeing the beauty of the area we hiked at and knowing the formations we saw were works of one God.
14. having friends who understand without knowing the details and accept me.
15. realizing that faith is not always an easy thing, but you gotta keep having it.
16. waking up to find a precious little girl sleeping peacefully next to me... she was comforted from a nightmare by just being by me, but let momma sleep.


See you all soon!! Im off to eat potato salad and watch the kids TRY to wash my car!

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We Can Do It! Skill Builder Sampler

Im joining in on this quilt along. Its a month by month block sampler that's going to make learning certain skills easy for a new quilter like me. I do hope you will join in. Leila has a very awesome program put together and lots of fun in store. Anyone with me?

Oh and cute little blog button to go along with it.

 

Now... to figure out what fabrics I want to use... hmmm. Post on that later!

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Works in Progress - Check In

What a crazy week... heck MAY! That last month of school means a ton of things going on. I feel like I've been spining in a circle.

I did manage to get my RobertK Challenge quilt sandwiched and pinned. I purchased a free motion foot to quilt it but got the WRONG one! ugh. However this Friday I plan on finishing it up. Here is the final look. I ended up adding more black and white around the outside to give it more size. It just felt way to small.

My daughter has been wanting to learn to sew for so long. She really expressed a wish for a sewing machine and fabrics for her birthday, so i finally decided to help her learn (any links, tips, ideas would be great for teaching. I have no clue what I'm doing). She is making a mug rug for her teacher...

Moda Glace by 3 sisters charms

Its not perfect, but shes happy and im sure her teacher will be also!

I have also started making mug rugs for others. After giving Zoey's teacher a mug rug for Teacher Appreciation Week, many others have admired it. So Im going to gift them with some too. These better be finnished by Monday!

Black and White Fabrics are Robert Kaufman, Blue is Central Park... the rest i have no clue.

This one is for a set of ladies who make me smile all the time. They are really 2 peas in a pod... so I'm making semi-coordinating mug rugs for them... the tops:

Completed and awaiting quilting:
Robert Challenge Quilt
2 mug rugs

Trying to do:
Birdie Block of the Month

This week's stats:
New projects - 0
Completed projects - 0
Currently in progress - 5



I really would like to get thinking about a new quilt... does anyone know of a quilt-a-long that JUST started or is starting soon??

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One Thousand Gifts - 1 to 10

I have been following a blog called "Holy Experiences" and after hearing about the authors personal story, her history, I thought... "Here is someone who has had a past similar to mine". As I discovered more about her, I learned she wrote a book called "One Thousand Gifts"

This inspired me to finally start putting down all the blessings God gives me. I'm going to blog it every Monday (or mess up and throw it on Tuesday) current or blessings i found during the week. If your interested in joining in... browse those links above for more information.

1 - the voice of a 5 year old lifted up in song singing "holy holy holy, is the lord god almighty"
2 - a little tomato struggling for survival with the cold, staying strong and growing in the midst of it all.
3 - child happily sitting and feeling so beautiful because of some hot curlers in her hair.
4 - secret notes left on my bathroom mirror "I hope you dont get sick, i love you"
5 - strength from good friends when i put myself into a ditch of cannot.
6 - warm toes all night long.
7 - reflection on the beauty that God allowed my hands to create.
8 - dewy fog, deep and thick.... then a burst of sun.
9 - gentle nudges when the alarm didnt go off.
10 - someone to call when sadness overwhelmes me, who always tells me the same joke "Why do they put fences around graveyards?...... people are dying to get it" and it always makes me smile!

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Solid Challenge - Progress so far

When I joined the Front Range Modern Quilt Guild, there was a challenge just starting. We were given a charm pack of Robert Kaufman' solids and were to make a quilt using only one additional fabric for the top (another for the back and binding if we wish).

 I was so at a loss what to do, all those rainbow colors ... I wanted rainbow fabric. But first I needed a idea of what to do. For my birthday I received this book:

Click on image for link to Author!

See that sewing machine cover? I was so interested in that look that I decided to use it as the basis of my design. But then part of the challenge was that the quilt must be 40x40 inches. I needed much more fabric use than just my little squares. I pulled out some graph paper and began to figure out a fun pattern (oh and the odd number of squares i was ending up with...)

 Ahhh, now that looks better. Some filling (all the same fabric) and some odd squares. I cut the 5" charms into 4- 2 1/2" inch squares. Thus one of the sets of 4 will be used in an random place on the big strips.  Now I have my plan, time to get started!

(FYI - My daughters have realized HOW important MATH is especially FRACTIONS and DECIMALS for mom!!!)

Now ... I spent quite some time on the piecing.... such tedious steps... la .. da... good thing I have good music to listen to while quilting...

And... after another afternoon of over 120 pieces on my bed, I finally figured out what order i wanted the colors in.... im almost done with this step!

So super excited.... the only last dilemma i had was what to use on the backing.... but that's a surprise for later!


 ----Now after i had cut all that black Robert Kaufman fabric into strips.... someone talked to me about how to line up fabric. Im almost glad though that the black and white squares are not perfectly straight, it seems to add fun directions to the overall layout. ----


Comments? ideas? Thoughts?


Please share!!!

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Catching up

A while back i posted a photo of the blocks for the Birdie Stitches BOM Flickr Group but I really didnt get far in finishing the blocks. So... Im catching up! I have January done! and February half way there!

Any comments about the colors used or anything? Im totally new at this.

Also, I bought this fabric and I love it, but I'd like some coordinating pieces from the same line. I have NO clue who the designer is or the line... does anyone recognize?

See you all soon when i can post more blocks finished, or even a sneak peak at a very rainbow-ee quilt im making!

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