Grown Up

I feel like an adult now. My husband is going on a business trip where he is presenting to a large audience where people have to pay $1000 to get in (he got in free as a developer)! The business is going places! Whoot. And he might also have another business trip to Austin in a couple weeks as well. I have to stay home and work both times. I really am grown up now.

He also just ordered business cards and I get to start reading a "how to" business guide for him (joy). :P

Done!

Finished the baby quilt in one week! :D

I was a little disappointed as I was finishing because it wasn't perfect. I was expecting to do better so I was upset. There are so many wonderful quilters out there and they are so much better than I am!

I was going to take pictures and show you all the horribleness of it all...

And then I realized this was the first time I have quilted a quilt as well as the first time I tried a binding...and for that, I am proud of my work! :D It looks great! I really like the binding. It is a nice finishing touch. And I really hope it gets a lot of use when the little baby comes...

No pictures. :-/  Maybe tomorrow

I Don't Like Quilting!

Andrew left yesterday morning quilt I was at work for Rob's bachelor party with Jason. Leaving me all alone! :( But I got off work at 3, picked up Ana, and we hung out with Josiah til about 5:15. :D So adorable! Then Ana and I picked up Kelsey and we all (including Chance!) came up to my place and I made dinner and failed (for the 4th time!) to make ice cream. I don't know why sometimes I do well with ice cream and sometimes I don't. I've used this recipe before, even made sure I saved it because I knew how to do it...and it still didn't work! :( But we had fun catching up and watched a girly movie.

So this is what the house looks like after the girls come over! I spent a little time cleaning up today...but going to dedicate more time tomorrow before Andrew gets home. :P

I took the girls back to slo at 10:30 and then stayed up til 2...quilting! :P I just love this sewing machine. My wonderful mother-in-law gave it to me and I had it cleaned this week, and now it is running WONDERFULLY! :D I got my free-motion foot and Andrew and I were trying to figure out how to put it on the other night.

The patterned flannel didn't quite fit the quilt top I made, so I added a strip of blue...which turned out perfectly because I was considering adding a bible verse and couldn't figure out where to put it...usually when I add writing, I find a style I like on my computer, print it, and then copy it in pencil.

Trying to make a "real" quilt...like I mentioned before, with batting and actually quilting the quilt instead of just tying like I usually do. I watched a whole season of The Mentalist while working on this quilt...

I bought 50 curved safety pins to put the three pieces together...and they still weren't enough! Had to use almost as many straight pins. And still things didn't go as I had planned! Ugh. I went through many emotions today while working on this quilt! Lots of floor time and my knee was hurting and cracking...my back was hurting, I was excited to piece it and it looked so good with the hand-sewn verse on the back...so cute! And pinning it went well...but then I started quilting.

 
In the three hours it took me to quilt this thing (I decided on a sort of grid pattern with green and blue thread), I went from being excited to hating quilting! Usually I get on Andrew's case for being a perfectionist, but today I realized I don't like quilting because it makes things look bad! Geez. Everything looked so great, but once I started quilting, everything bunched up and turned crooked...ugh. It was not cool. Still not...but now that it is done, it looks...OK.

This is me attempting to roll the quilt so I can quilt it...

Here is the front and back...they clash a little I guess...but they're fun!

And here is the finished bible verse strip on the back...

I thought I would include a picture of my "stash" of fabrics. :) For future quilts...

And a picture of some squares of a quilt a friend is making for me and Andrew...friends and family signed it at our wedding and she's going to put it together for us! It's so great!

Quilting is Expensive!

Sigh. I need to start selling them to make back what I spend. Who knew a baby quilt was going to be so expensive! Simply because I chose to finish it the "traditional" way with batting! :-/

But...this is what I get to do on my job. Go to starbucks and read Boxcar Children! Kelly and I enjoy our warm drinks after shopping at Beverly's. I love my job. I may not make very much, but there are at least two of us very glad that I have the job that I do!

Baby Quilt!

I decided to use some fabric I had bought about 6 months ago for the baby quilt. It's super cute green, blue and yellow. Perfect for an adorable little boy! I spent about an hour designing this quilt, then got to cutting it out Monday afternoon.

Yesterday started sewing the blocks together and ironing open the seams (have never done this, usually I think it takes too much time, but I want this to be the most perfect quilt ever!)...

And today I have the whole top pieced! This is the quickest I have ever put together a quilt. Granted, it is smaller than my normal attempts, and the blocks are rather large, but it still came together really quickly! I'm proud of it.

Now I just have to decide what to use as a backing. Soft flannel or the super soft fuzzy fabric. I don't want it to be too thick and stiff, so if I use the super soft and fuzzy fabric, I don't think I'm going to use any batting. Jury is still out on whether I'm going to tie it or quilt it. And now that I'm looking at it, it looks rather large for a baby quilt...but I guess maybe that's a good thing and Jed can use it for more than just his first year.

I've also started working on a yo-yo quilt. No pictures yet, but I have 21 yo-yos sewn. Of course, it takes about 3000 for a good, queen-sized blanket. But it's a fun, on-the-go project!

Andrew worked 60 hours last week. And that's not even counting the time he spends at home working on stuff, that's just at the office. :-/ He does get a break this weekend though, going to Rob's bachelor party with Jason. :) They're leaving Friday morning. I'm having a girls night with Kelsey and Ana Friday, and not telling anyone I'm free Saturday cause I want to spend the whole day quilting! :) Just feeding my addiction I guess...

Sunday Working

After church this morning we celebrated our friend Alyssa's birthday by going out to lunch. :) She and her husband are starting the adoption process again, so soon I will have two little ones to take to Avila Valley Barn! This time around I get to be a reference! Probably because I hang out with Josiah so much. :) 


In church this morning our pastor encouraged us to use our gifts to bless other church members. Our new nursery director is due in october, and I am now going to make her a baby quilt! The first small one I've attempted. I'm excited! I'm going to use green and yellow (it's going to be a boy), and I ordered a free motion quilting foot, so I'm going to actually quilt this one rather than simply tying it! Trying lots if new things. I am also committing to praying for little Jed as I work on his quilt. :) 

Tonight is the Hot House final dinner, and Andrew has to present his work, so we are busy in SLO working. No quilting for me today. :( 

Getting into Blogging!

I decided I wanted to have a more "public" blog in case I ever do anything with it. I have been inspired by the blogs I have recently been reading (my favorite at crazymomquilts) to add more flare and color to my blogs about life and add more fun things instead of boring facts. Since I am very active in my quilting recently, that is going to inspire a lot of my posts!

My last post on my other blog showed a picture of my recently finished black and white quilt that I gave to my sister, which - in her honor - I am titling New York Buildings. I'm posting it again for anyone new to the blog. :)

The two quilts I am working on now:

One for Brett, who requested a crazy quilt

and one with some dark red/maroon fabrics that I bought over two years ago that I think I will keep for our bed. I just love these colors!

Today we got up at 7am because I had to be at work at 8. Kelly and I had a great day (aside for me leaving the headlights on and needing a jump from wonderful Ana), and I got off at 4. Joined Andrew (I dropped him off at work before I went to work) and he was being super productive so i hung out til 6, when we headed home. I worked on some other blocks for the maroon quilt from about 8-11. :)

Tomorrow we have church, lunch with friends, a three hour break and then a HotHouse dinner for Andrew's summer work/business starting. Busy, busy weekend, and the week starts all over again!