One Thing Led to Another...

You know how one thing just leads to another? Well today, for me, is a perfect example of how this happens and even the best laid plans can go astray. It all started last week when I stopped by my favorite fabric shop in Key West, The Seam Shoppe. It is located on Truman Ave and I have been going there for 15 years. That store always puts a skip in my step - they have the best batiks and island prints anywhere! As luck would have it they carry my Quilted Toddler Bib pattern and I needed to stop by and pick up some fabric to use to make a sample bib for them to display in their shop. The bib to the right is the sample I made for their store. Then, as is often the case when I begin to sew, one thing led to another, and another, and another, and that's why I didn't get any laundry done today.... isn't it?

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While I was sewing the sample for The Seam Shoppe, I remembered the fabulous citrus fabric I had bought there a while back and I decided to make my darling Granddaughter, Lucy, a bib with the remains of that fabric. Isn't it grand?

Here is the back. I love it!

And then, as luck would have it, I had just enough left over to make Lucy TWO "drool bibs." Here is one of them.

And when I finished the drool bibs, I remembered the fabric I had left over from the aprons I made my daughter and her girls for Mother's Day, and, well, that led to this bib here on the right ------->

Then I remembered another sample I had made for a machine embroidery website, so I started digging through boxes until I found that bib so I could include it with the other bibs I had made today. I couldn't send the box without this one in it, right? You wouldn't believe the stuff I found while hunting for this bib.... but that's another post entirely...

So all of that is why I didn't get any laundry done today. Or dusting. Or bookwork. Or the newest pattern uploaded to the Library of Congress. One thing just led to another...

Hey! How did Lucy's photo get on here? Now that it's on here, I certainly can't delete it.... Isn't she darling? Just look at those eyelashes!

Swap Blocks!

I have definitely been busy working on swap blocks for my local guild, The Procrastinating Quilters. The gals that run the swap sure keep us in stitches (couldn't resist!). The Flip Flop blocks really caught my interest, since that is my shoe of choice.

I generally make 12 blocks to swap, and then 12 to keep, but with the Flip Flops I did three of each, keeping one of each set of three for myself. If that didn't make sense, what I meant to say was that I made six for myself and 12 to swap. When I get the 12 swapped blocks back I will make more for myself, filling in with Flip Flops that are the "missing" color or style that I think my quilt needs. I machine embroidered all the embellishments onto each block. That's why there are only 18 total blocks. Machine embroiderers will understand the design placement nightmare I created for myself with that one....
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.....I liked the paisley the best...


And my goal this month is to use up some of my green stash, because it is taking over the house. I tried to use only green fabric for the flips. Somehow, after I was done the green section seemed to have gotten larger. Go figure.

Each time we swap there is an appliqued block pattern and a pieced block pattern. For this months swap I decided to do both. The pieced block was to be red, white and blue and as luck would have it I know someone who has his birthday on the 4th of July. Odd thing is, I have never made him a quilt. So, below are the 24 blocks that shall be the beginning of the "Little Fire Cracker Quilt." I have some paper piecing patterns, and some other cute red, white and blue blocks that I am going to scramble up and use to make my little fire cracker his quilt.... one day.

The Happiest Mother's Day!

Now that I am a grandmother I realize that the greatest gift you can recieve on Mother's Day is to see your own daughter become a wonderful mother.

My goodness, how time flies. Wasn't it just a few years ago that the only food Nik would eat was green beans? I am sure it was just a year or two ago that she refused to go to school until every "bump" was gone from her hair? It sure feels like just a few months ago we were praying as she drove out of the driveway alone for the first time, hoping that she wouldn't kill herself or anyone else on the road? I am certain it was just a year or two ago that we had to leave her crying in the hall of her dorm at Kent State? Now she is raising our grandchildren with such amazing skill and poise that we couldn't be more pleased.

Every day Nik is making the most wonderful memories with her girls. They do crafts, they bake, they play games, they have sleepovers... While looking at photos of a recent "baking day," I came up with an idea to make baking days just a little bit more special at their house.

For Mother's Day I made my daughter and her two sweet girls matching aprons. I found a great apron pattern, modified it a bit, and here is what I came up with. It makes me smile just to think about the three of them in the kitchen all decked out in their aprons, chatting away while they stir the batter....

Oh, and a fun side note. The buttons I used on the aprons are from my Great Grandmother's button stash, which somehow (in my mind, anyway) grants them some very good energy!

Happy Mother's Day, everyone!

First Hand Applique ~ Done!

So here she is. My first guild challenge, and my first hand applique all finished! The tip of my middle finger on my right hand may never regain it's pain free existence, but I am pretty pleased with the results. I actually think I will do another hand applique project when I stumble onto a project I like.

As I had stated in a previous post, this was the President's Challenge from my local quilt guild, the Procrastinating Quilters. It is titled "The Paint Chip Challenge."
Here are the paint chips that were in my sealed envelope. I think I did pretty good on the fabric choices, but we shall see...

Here is the back of the quilt. I spent an eternity quilting this puppy. I really got excited as it started coming together and I could see the patterns on the back unfolding....

And yes, though I always drag my feet, the rules insisted on a label, so here it is...

And here is where my quilt shall sit. Don't you think it is the perfect place for a "glass tea party*" with my granddaughters?

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*"Glass tea party" is what my granddaughter, Madelyn, calls her tea parties when she gets to use the real china tea set.