You Quilt My Heart

I am attempting to make a quilt top as a "small" project. For some reason I always tackle things head on with a not so easy project when starting a new hobby. I tried to make a patchwork quilt when I was in highschool but in the end my mom took the work I had done and turned it into a beautiful wedding present for me and to this day it is one of my most favorite things ever! She even put pico's on the edge and they remind me of my favorite baby blanket of yore and therefore bring comfort and fond memories.

So I decided to make a quilt from fabric that I already had on hand and sorted through my stash. I ended up wanting to add a hot pink that I didn't have and so I spent 5$ on remnant fabric at Joann's and then cut out 4" squares of all the fabrics with my rotary cutter and mat.

I decided to make a pinwheel quilt and began a'sewin my squares and cutting them in half diagonally and then ironing the seams on the back and then sewing them together (4 squares to one pinwheel) and ironing 2 more times. So far I have all my pinwheels sewn together and ironed and cut back down to a regulation size - 6 inches. None of this would be doable without my olfa cutter and mat - it is a godsend that I recieved on my most recent birthday because my mom and my sisters know just how much I love to craft and sew and how much I was coveting one of these!

I am making progress on this lovely quilt o'mine and hope to show you results after I get some help from my mom laying out a good pattern of the different pinwheels. Let me tell you, this quilt is my outlet for all the crazy girliness inside of me that is stored away because I have a son that cannot wear pink with black and white polkadots, so I have thus channeled every inch of girl I possess in the adornment department and put together what I consider to be my most favorite self-made possible blanket EVER!(possible blanket because after finishing the quilt top, I still have to get backing and batting and then actually quilt it and add that forever-loved pico edge, before it is an actual blanket).

How is it?

That my camera is broken? Really it's not my camera its the stupid card that stores the pictures that go in my camera. I tried to download them and three times now it has frozen my computer and I've had to just shut it down. I am frustrated by this for multiple reasons - one being that there are some stinkin' cute pictures on my camera that I wanted to post here and I cannot get them off my camera - second being that I really want a new camera and so this just adds to the list of reasons I should get said VERY EXPENSIVE new camera. I think maybe there is a virus on the memory card or something, so I'm trying to figure that out. I should have some interesting things coming up as I will be inheriting 3 extra kids for a week very soon. Should be interesting to say the least.

The whole weight thing is going ok, I've been the same for the last 6 weeks and just bounce around in a 1 lb. range. So thats ok I guess - but I think the GIANT piece of chocolate cake I had over a two day period is going to do bad things this week. Life has been crazy and I'm really getting into knitting again. I just unraveled an entire bootie today because it had a minor mistake, but I want them to look perfect. And I'm trying to finish a hat and start a baby sweater, so it should be a busy craft time over the next little while.

I will continue to try and keep it updated here. :) See you soon!

Projects

I have been working on several projects lately, some long term and large and some within the foreseeable future. I tend to take on lots of things to fill my "spare" time, not that there is much of that with Little literally trying to RUN around. But I have found several things that I enjoy and look forward to working with on a continual basis. As I have mentioned Knitting is one of those things and I have found a new love for cross-stitch. My mother-in-law does a beautiful job making stockings among other things and I thought I would try my hand at it and have found it to be something I enjoy attempting.

I finished a knitted ruffled scarf yesterday. It is dark brown and pink and it turned out really well! Now I want to make a hat that matches, just for the future happenstance that I may in my lifetime give birth to a little girl (we're thinking we're more of the boy making variety since my last miscarriage was a boy and then we had Little).

A "project" that had been in the works for a while was finally leaving Little with a sitter long enough to go to the Temple and enjoy a session without panic overtaking both Husband and I and giving up and turning around before we even reached the parking lot. It has now been accomplished and we are hoping to make it more of a regular occurance.

On the actual craft Project front, I have finally started using my Cricut that I got for Christmas and Little is going to have a birthday with the most fun signs and invitations - Hopefully I will be able to post his invites after they have been sent out so I don't ruin the fun for any recipient.

I have also started back into knitting my grandmothers famous baby booties - they don't come off and are so snugly cute. I made Little 3 pairs and that is what he wore for the longest time. Now that I am a more experienced knitter I am hoping to make some with more complex color schemes (i.e. stripes, different colored soles) and just stockpile them 'til we bring forth another Little or until I have reason to give some away as gifts.

I'm trying to get back into blogging more regularly, so as I try to dedicate my time to all the things I find very important in my life I will be attempting to be here more regularly with well-crafted posts.

Holiday Cheer

In the rush that is Christmas preparations I took some time to bake. Yes many would not call this a break, but I do, especially when my life has been hectic and busy while knitting for gifts, making mistakes on knitted gifts, reknitting gifts, making ornaments, making deliveries and keeping the house clean for guests of all kinds. Add in to this equation some nice driveway shoveling and salting and basically freezing to the bone and you've got about the stress level I've been experiencing lately.

A bright spot in my last few weeks was when I stepped on the scale at my weekly WW meeting and I had lost 2 lbs! That was nice and completely due to the 5 points per day that I dropped because of how much solid food Little is eating, therefor decreasing my nursing calorie expenditure. I am only 3 lbs from pre-pregnancy weight and that is just the best feeling.

I am now getting ready for the final rush to wrap all the gifts that I have purchased and finish all the lofty projects I have started. And I just got the best present of all - My sister who lives upstairs just got a snowblower! No more shoveling for me! It has been a good workout, but my back muscles will thank me later.

And after this holiday rush I will take the time to put together a yearly greeting and send it out, whether it be via email or the snail variety. I say yearly greeting because I hesitate to say holiday because it may not be around the holidays that it arrives. But I look forward to making this card and adding some nice photos to my collection of family pictures.

Knitty Gritty

This is what I started with... a skein (ball) of yarn and a circular needle. What I ended up with is something that I find pretty darn stinkin' cute! (see below)



I made Little a hat with earflaps and it was my first time switching yarns in the middle of a project. I grew to love knitting while I was pregnant when I made Little some really tiny booties for his newborn days. I am finding new things to make and improve my skills and really makes me feel neat! (isn't that what it's all about? feeling neat and cool?)

So here is the finished hat after it was pressed so it was totally finished! I impress myself sometimes...sshhhhhh! Don't tell anyone!

Are there any projects you want to try that might make you feel neat and cool?

Building Blocks

I decided I wanted to provide Little with his own set of building and learning blocks with a lot of love from mom thrown into the mix. I got wood posts and cut the blocks myself (I got a higher grade wood, not the kind from the craft store that chips) with the help of my sister and her saw.

I used my mad mod podge skills and put these together with scrapbook paper. Right now Little has a set of 12 blocks and he isn't allowed to touch them yet. I have not gotten over the "mod podge in a babies mouth is not a good thing" worry, and I kind of like how nice and crisp they look.

If you are interested in any kind of custom block set for your children I am happy to provide the goods and will discuss price if you message me on my blog. I'm thinking of putting these in my etsy shop that isn't yet up and running...what think y'all?