What's going on?

Oh, I have so much to show you!
But I only have pictures of some cute pillows I made this year.

I made two of these for my boys' teachers.



And this one I made for me. :)  I made it with an envelope enclosure on the back, so that I can just store the pillow sham, instead of the whole pillow.




Before we left, I finished my stained glass quilt, but I don't remember where I put it! I think I put it in my parent's house for safe keeping, but I keep forgetting to look when I'm over.  I've searched through all of our stuff and can't find that and my Christmas quilt! AH!

I also finished Owen's quilt and have started working on blocks for my niece's quilt.  Her birthday is in February, but the way things are lately, I will need to take my time and sew when I can.  More pics on these soon!

Linking up....

WIP Wednesday

It's been like a year since I've linked up.. Maybe not...but here I am after a long time.

I got a lot done this weekend and have lots more to do.

Here's a glimpse:


Birthday cake for Zoe (my niece) and Birthday cake for Rylan (my oldest who is 8!)


My husband lovingly refinished our dining room table and I made some fall and Christmas placemats.

Right now my goal is to finish Owen's quilt.  He was so excited watching me make my nephew, Grant, a quilt and he asked me to make one for him.  I was waiting for this day to come.  I can't wait to finish it!
He's so happy, too.


I have also cooked dinner 3 times this week so far and have a plan with shopping list and everything for next week! I feel accomplished! And I'm linking up today...so join the fun and see what everyone else is doing.
 

How do you make camo look good?

Um...not sure if I know the answer to that question.

Hope you all had a good Thanksgiving Day!  We had a great time with my side of the family this year.  And my nephew has a birthday coming up in a week, so I made him a quilt that he asked for last year.  And then I forgot it.  I almost cried.

Well, it will either make it's way up to him via mail or we'll see them sooner than later and I'll hand deliver it.  Maybe after his birthday, around Christmas.

He asked for a camoflage quilt.  Really?  Camo?  Ok, so I was on it.  I found this pixel-camo (I made that name up) while we were on our trip across America.  And this is what I came up with using my stash for the rest of the fabric.




I added in navy blue, dark and light grey, white and khaki and a little of one of the DSQuilts fabrics from Joann's.   I think it works.  It's very manly-ish.  Perfect for my nephew Grant. He's a little manly man in a house with 3 older sisters.




I did an all over meandering stippling and it turned out looking like camoflage, too.  So that was perfect for the back. Now I'm just nervous and hope he's going to like it!

I'm linking up over at Finish It Up Friday.  Check it out.

Random

First off, I finished my block for the new Quilting for Kids project.  We only need 13 more blocks, and they're quick and easy.  Go on over and sign up if you can.



I also just had to share this picture with you.  I made this quilt for my niece two years ago, when she was born.  I never got a picture of it before I sent it off.  It was one of the first quilts I've made.  My sister went with me and picked out the fabrics.



What I didn't know when I made this quilt was that it should be quilted closer together.  It had still never been washed because I told my sis that I needed to fix that before it was washed.  Well, she moved twice since then, and I finally had a chance to hand quilt it while I was with her all last week.    She is very pregnant and having premature contractions, basically almost on bed rest.  Her husband had to go out of town so I went up to play with my niece and help keep that baby boy in her belly!

Isn't she a cutie?  Next up is a quilt for Silas, who will be here soon!

New Quilting for Kids Project!

Nita, from nitadances.com, contacted me and asked if we could help her out and send her some blocks. She has a very noble goal of helping kids feel like they matter. And she wants to do this by making quilts for as many as she can.

This is from her blog:    Each Because You Matter quilt will be made for a specific child to keep for his or her very own. These are children of all ages – toddler through teens – who are living in emotionally precarious situations. They may be foster children. They may be the children of single parents struggling to keep things together. They are all children who are having a hard time and who could use the gift of a handmade quilt to wrap up in for the simple reason that they matter. They just matter. And so do you!

As of right now, she is working with a social worker who has three girls in mind who could really benefit from this kind of love. We're going to focus on one girl as a group. This child is part of "the system" and has a lot of the family responsibility taking care of her siblings. This means she doesn't really have things for herself and is often neglected because she is older and capable of helping out more. I know she would feel so special receiving this quilt.

She has picked a great block that is easy and actually great for scraps! (This is Toni's block...she finished it the day she signed up! Thanks Toni!)


You can find the tutorial here: mummastimetocreate.blogspot.com.au/2012/01/reverse-rainbo...


She would like the star to be pure white and the background to be a mix of golds and purples. (so like a muted yellow) Here's a mosaic of the colors to give you an idea. (from LHDumes on flickr)



She needs 24 blocks and would like to have them in the mail by December 15th. I know it's around the holidays, but maybe you have an extra half hour to make this block? If you do, sign up at the Quilting for Kids Flickr group!

I'm Back!

Hi guys! I'm back!  Woohoo! Back to normal chaos around here.  The road trip was 2 days shy of 4 months long...and it was awesome!

I'll share some more with you along the way, and I can't wait to show you what I've made over 12,000 miles.  I'll check in with you later this week.

But for now, if you want to head over Jenn's flickr group.  She's making blocks to put together for Hurricane Sandy victims.  Go check it out and see if you can help.

I'll also be sharing a new Quilting for Kids project in a little bit.  Stay tuned!

And guess what...I'm sleeping in my own bed...in a house with no wheels! Can you tell how happy I am?

As we start October, I just wanted to share with some of my new followers these spider web placemats I made last year.  There is also a template for it.  You can find it all in this post.

Let me know if you make anything! I'd love to see.

Miami Dolphins Quilts

I don't think I've ever shown you these quilts that I made my sons two years ago. It was at the very beginning of my sewing, so be kind.  They really are not the best work that I've done.  But, at that time, I was very proud of them.  And well, to be honest I still am, because my kids LOVE their quilts.



I went to the store with them to let them pick out fabrics, and this is what they wanted.  So, I had to think of something.  I had no rulers, rotary cutters, cutting mats.  Everything was done with drawn lines and scissors.  (I had no clue.)


They were a great accomplishment for me at that time.  And just look at these boys.  They love their quilts!

Patchwork Chevron

Well, I saw this quilt a while ago and it stuck in my head.  Then I saw Jen's quilt right before I started mine.  I had two charm packs, so wanted to make it bigger than the first, but didn't know how it would all work out until I saw Jen's.  Then I just copied her!  (She was totally cool with that...)



Anyway, here it is! It's been done for a while.  I finished it in June, just before we went on the road.  (We're on day 90 today!)  I've been sooo many pretty places that I should have taken pictures of the quilt there, but this cute little camp ground in PA will have to do.  (Because I finally remembered, had a moment, had internet...these things rarely happen to me these days!)





 For the back and binding, I wanted to use up some fabrics that I had in my closet.  I don't really want to buy a ton more fabric until I use what I have.  But I like the way it turned out.  Used up a few scraps of muslin and smaller pieces of fabric.  I'm very happy with this quilt!


 It's perfect for cuddling on the couch, which is what I mainly use it for.  And occasionally on the feet of my husband and I as we are freezing in the trailer.  Thankfully on our first night of really cold weather, my in-laws were in town at a hotel and the kids stayed with them.  We tried out the heater for the first time, only to find it didn't work and we were freezing! It was definitely below 50 in the trailer.  We've remedied the problem and have heat now...but man, that was cold!

Pin it to win it

WHAT?! Fresh Squeezed Fabric is having a little contest.  If you pin an item from their shop and you get as many repins as it costs in three days, it's yours.    Full information here.

I'm going big or going home.  I'm going for this sweet baby....hopefully I'll get it.  Or I'm going home crying.

                                                                   link to the listing
It's $68.25...so I'm going for 69 repins. 

I'm just a girl on the road for 4 months, in a trailer with 3 boys and a man, with no sewing machine, trying to have a little reward for me when I get home.  Can you help a woman out?

If you have a chance, head over to repin mine.  You help me, I help you.  Leave me a comment if you have one. :)

PINTEREST LINK :  http://pinterest.com/pin/286963807477896559/

New fabric

I got to my sister's house after two months on the road.  We were going to have a grand ole time, but then my kids got sick.  Like throwing up all night sick and breathing treatments sick.  Antibiotics and pink eye sick.  Ugh.  So sad. 

But we are still having a good time.  Making the best of it.  Seems like we're all on the mend, as long as nothing else happens.


This was waiting for me in the mail from Julie at IntrepidThread.  It was the last of my birthday money.  Man, that money went a long way in her shop!  Great prices and sales.  Seriously.  And no, not getting paid to say so.  She even sends you a few 5" squares from a different line with every purchase, just to entice you.  Sneaky, sneaky.

This is my favorite fabric from the Indie line.


My mom, sister and I also went shopping for new fabric for my nephew's new quilt.  He is due in December and will need something to cuddle up in.

Here's what she picked as the main fabrics.

And these are the extras.  I love it.  I think it's so cute.


Hope all is well with you.  I'll be showing you what I've been working on in a bit.

I miss my sewing machine, but we're having a great time on the road!

Pics

We visited a friend who has a little farm with chickens and goats!
 
This was our front yard for a few weeks in Golden, Colorado.

Mountains in Boulder, CO.
 
Freezing water at Eldorado Springs, CO.

A nature walk in Rocky Mountain National Park.


EEWW! At Oklahoma Aquarium, Tulsa, OK.


So close to bison and prairie dogs at Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma.

Artsy Fartsy on the Road

Well, hello America.  I've been seeing you!  So far FL, GA, TN, IL, KY, MO, KS, CO, OK....not in that particular order, although it could be...I don't have a map in front of me.

So anyway, lots of cool sites along the way, I'll share a few pics. 

And my need to finish something is really getting to me.  So I put down my hand piecing for a few days and hit up Joann's for some remnant fleece and the boys and I got to work on these cute little monster thingies that they made up.



They drew up what they wanted, or told me what they wanted, and we made it a reality!  My first time doing a blanket stitch was successful.  And so far the stuffing is staying in.  The kids thought it was so cool to do this.  We have a bit more fabric left over and will probably make one for my niece for when we see her in a few weeks, but I think we're supposed to make some food for the monster thingies as well.


No really, he likes it.                           Cell phone pic...you can see me in the reflection.

New Quilting for Kid Project!

I've missed you all!
I am still on my very loooong road trip. Still in Colorado right now then headed to Oklahoma from here.  So Laura, a Flickr friend, has asked if we could send her blocks for a quilt that will be used for foster children. 

It's a very simple string block.  The tutorial is here: http://www.107quilts.com/2011/09/sew-modern-bee-october-tutorial-string.html



It's a simple sew, and Laura is making it even easier, because she wants each block to be one color.  So get out your scraps and use 'em up for a good cause!

Read below what this quilt is to be used for.  And thank you all for your help!

Head on over to the Quilting for Kids group to sign up.  If you haven't already joined the group, you're welcomed to! And I'll take any advertising you can give for this project!


Laura says:

Cross Bridge Ranch will be opening this fall. It is a ranch for girls in foster care away from their homes while they await placement in foster homes. It will also be a transitional home for girls between high school and adult life on their own.
Cross Bridge is a Christian organization affiliated with a local church and will house up to 16 girls ages 6-14 who are in the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services system. These girls are getting ready to go into foster care. Some on-site counseling will be available and employees will take the girls to psychiatrist and doctor’s appointments. The children will be enrolled in the local school district and involved in sports, community and church activities.
In the future, they will be adding a facility to house girls ages 15-21, who aren’t going to be adopted or aren’t going back home. They will be able to get a GED or high school diploma, be taught job skills, learn how to drive, etc. Often times, children that turn 18 are turned out of the system. As long as they are enrolled in college or job skills courses, girls 18 -21 will be allowed to stay in the facility.
The third phase of the program will be to add a facility for boys. This will make it easier for siblings to have regular visits with one another.
They have the housing and are currently acquiring beds, bedding and other necessities. My hope is to have a quilt for each girl in the facility, by the time they arrive. I want them to take the quilts with them when they leave, and I will have more quilts made as new girls arrive.

Thank you so much for volunteering to help.

Hi Y'all!!

Well, we have officially been living in the camper for 9 days.  We are on day 10 now.

All in all, it's been great.
 
We're learning a lot along the way, but driving through seven states will do that.



 We had a great time in Georgia at a state park that had a great little beach area.  My husband's cousin and his family (I love his wife) came and camped next to us in her parent's camper.  We had a great time roasting hotdogs and marshmallows.

We spent a few nights at some KOAs along the way.  The one in Goodland, Kansas was the boys' favorite.  It had a miniature golf course and some really old playground equipment that the rest of the world has deemed unsafe.  You remember the merry go rounds we all used to ride on? And the really tall metal slide?  Ya, they're still fun.

My youngest has started swimming now, thanks to the pool being the only entertainment as some places.

All the boys are doing great.  I'm really proud of them.





And here's what I've done since Georgia, a week ago.  Actually, I have 14 flowers done, but no current pic.



I hope you all are well! More pics later. I'm hoping to find a nice quilt shop around here. We were supposed to go to one just before Chattanooga, but missed the exit, and I didn't want to keep 3 kids waiting. So hopefully somewhere along in here I'll get a little bit of "me" time.

WIP....Trailer style

Well, here is my WIP for the last two weeks!

I've been cleaning and making lists and buying stuff and now I'm on hold until I move everything in on Thursday/Friday. 

That doesn't mean there isn't plenty to do, though! Getting homeschool material ready, clothes washed, getting the house ready for us to be gone for a few months.  I am so glad that our first stop on this trip is Orlando to be with family for a few days at a resort that has a water park in it.  We are so going to need it after this week! Then it's on the road for a few days until we hit Colorado. 

I'm excited. 

Oh, and don't forget to add to the list of things to do, get supplies ready for on the go sewing, and ordering Thimble It (which I saw on another website and decided it's a must have for my summer sewing.  They're little sticky pads that you put on your finger while you're sewing instead of thimble, which I hate using!  Only around $7)


Here's a few pics of the trailer.  It's cleaned up now, and I'll have the boy's quilts and our bedding in it, instead of the manufacturer's stuff.  I'm looking forward to the next step!  Wish me luck!