Tis The Season

I am so excited about Christmas!  I have always enjoyed everything about this holiday.  I am going home today to spend some time with my family until New Year's.  I have been told this will be the best Christmas ever, so we will see. 

I made this First Aid kit similar to some I had seen online for one present.

Filled with some essentials: Wet Wipes, BandAids, Neosporin, Advil

I can't get it to turn the right way!

I also made a cover for my mother-in-law's mixer from this tutorial.  I hope it fits!  Her kitchen is green and I had some extra green Ruby.

I hate bias tape.  I decided to make it for this project and the tutorial suggested covering the seams in it on the sides.  I knew better than to think that would look good when I was finished so I just added a little piece inside the seam that I sewed right sides together.  I did put the bias tape at the bottom which was not too hard.  I hope she likes it! 

I am still working on the Ruby Lattice quilt.  I got it back from the machine quilter's (first time using them) and it looks great!  Now I just need to square it up and put on the binding.  The end is soooo close!  Finishing it up means that baby will be here before we know it.  I can't wait to hold her.  I know she is going to be precious! 

Merry Christmas!  

New Projects

I have started many new projects and even a whole new hobby (bad news for the bank account!) 

I have made several simple knit and fleece baby blankets and also more make-up bags using the same tutorial.

I finished up the quilt top (except for cutting off the excess triangles on the edges) of the Chopsticks quilt.  Since it has no recipient right now, I have decided to move on to another quilt.

This quilt is for a co-worker of P's.  She is expecting a baby girl in February.  I fell in love with the Ruby line as soon as I saw it in quilts.  We chose the Lattice Baby Quilt design from Moda Bake Shop for this quilt.  Here are the squares laid out so far.  There are so many mini polka dot prints that it was hard to find a good arrangement.  I just keep reminding myself that there will be (cream) sashing in between.  :)

Here are some other things I have picked up had delivered recently.  Two charm packs of Terrain and a set of fat quarters of Little Apples.  The Little Apples set is my Christmas present so I can't cut into it just yet. 

My new hobby is crochet.  Another blogger posted a link to information about Crochet School taught in videos by Craftyminx.  I have really enjoyed logging on each night to see if there is something new to do.  I also know how to knit, but I keep forgetting how to purl.  I also never finished many projects (except some dish cloths and I am almost through with my scarf.)  Crochet was hard the first time I tried it (before knitting), but now makes a lot more sense.  It is easier since there is just one hook for the entire project and only several basic stitiches when combined in different ways yeild different designs.  I plan to try to crochet some baby blankets just to test it out.

I loved the format of the class because she taught one stitch at a time.  We then completed about 4 rows of each type and they built on each other to form this neat little swatch that I can use as a reference later. 

I also croched three granny squares as a part of a lesson, but I somehow lost two along the way.  :( 

I learned how to crochet in the round and made this little swatch. 

We are now working on reading crochet patterns so that we can make many different things.  She made a pattern from some wrist warmers.  Here is my start.  I don't know what I will do with the finished project, but since I lost the other granny squares I need something for the next lesson. 

I also learned painfully that my tension is very tight.  I had to crochet the gague swatch for this pattern abotu four times!  I had to go up 3 hook sizes!!!  I will be sure to remember this next time to save myself the time and effort. 



Off to Michael's to use my coupon and get some yarn for more projects.  :) 

Catching Up

I have not blogged in over a month!  Wow!  In the past month, I have finished two quilts.  One for my dad and one for a friend who was getting married. 

This is the quilt I made for my Dad.  I planned it to match his living room. 

The other quilt, I forgot to take a finished picture of.  :( 

Since I finished these two a few weeks ago, I haven't really done a lot.  I have still been busy with the start of school, Open House, and just getting back in the swing of things. 

This weekend, I decided to start something new.  I bought the Chopsticks pattern a while back as well as the fabric to make it.  I chose to use Fresh Flowers by Deb Strain.  My LQS also had some fabric that coordinated well with it from one of her earlier lines (the yellow). 

I got confused at the cutting table and was missing a fabric.  I chose another blue and not the red.  I planned for the other blue fabric to be in the quilt, but after it was washed, it was a bit too short.  I also realized that I didn't want two blue prints although I loved them both.  I went back and got the red which I think will add a lot to the quilt.  I will just try not to place the red and blue flowers side by side too often. 

I just finished sewing up two of the blocks.  Here is what they look like so far:

  I love this quilt already!  Only 22 more blocks to go.  :) 

Long Time No Blog!

Wow!  It has been a while since I have posted.  Since my last post, we have attended a wedding (P's best friend's wedding to be exact), enjoyed time with family, and started back to school. 

I can not say enough about my class this year.  I am so excited to really get into it in the next few weeks.  They have been wonderful with only a few small conflicts.  :)  They are all precious and sooooo sweet. 

As a late birthday present, P let me order some fabric I have been dying to get. 

Tidbits and Treasures

When I was ordering, jelly rolls were on sale, too.  I couldn't resist buying this Hullabaloo jelly roll. 

Look at that top!  I can't even unwrap it. 

Hullabaloo

I have finished quilting my dad's quilt.  Now I am working on the binding.  This is what I was doing last night.  I love to work on binding while watching my favorite shows.  I chose to bind it using the same brown from the front of the quilt.  Only a side and a half left to go!  It needs to be done by the 9th when I go back home.  I'm sure it will be done.  I calculated last night that this quilt has about 182 straight lines quilted on it.  That's a lot, but it looks great.  I will NEVER quilt lines that close together again!

Now I am working on a very special project for one of my best friends.  She has been asking for years for a blue and brown quilt.  She is getting married in two weeks, and I just started on her quilt.  She also chose blue and brown as the colors for her wedding.  I bought the paisley fabric a few years ago at a quilt show.  My grandmother said she was going to buy it if I wanted it and we ended up buying all that was left on the bolt (because they gave you a % off if you bought it all and it was already 50% off).  I knew that it was going to be used for this special friend, but I debated for a long time on what pattern I wanted to use.  I finally settled on using the Fractured Pinwheels pattern from the book 24 Hour Quilts.  Here are the strips cut into triangles and ready to be sewn back together.    

 Here are the two blocks that will make up the quilt.  I have made 5 blocks.  Only 15 more to go!

  I am loving this quilt and I know that she will love it too!

This afternoon, I will be home alone.  :)  I hope to finish some more quilt blocks as well as work on some seat belt covers to take to family when I go home.  Oh, and another collapsible market tote for my grandmother's birthday.  I love weekends!

What a fun week!

This week has been filled with fun.  A week ago, our new bedroom furniture arrived and we LOVE it!  Before, we had several pieces from different places that we put together to "make it work."  Now, we have a matching set complete with two nightstands.  :)

On Tuesday, I drove to Charleston for the day.  My aunt and cousin were there for a baseball tournament so I went to visit.  We went to the market which is always fun.  We enjoyed some great food and an afternoon of baseball. 

A few weeks ago, one of P's co-workers saw his sandwich wrap and said she wanted one.  She also requested a make up bag that was fairly small, but still large enough to carry essentials.  I found a site with links to many different tutorials and let her chose the bags she liked best.  In the end, I decided to use the tutorial for a Straight Sided Triangular Cosmetic Bag.  The tutorial is okay, but it became a little rough.  I just used what I already knew about making bags (although I am not too good with the zippers).  I made this as a test bag just to see the size. 


This fabric is from the remnants bin at Hobby Lobby

It turned out to be perfect, but I still needed to work on the zipper.  Here is the bag I made for L.  She requested cupcake fabric, and I knew the Michael Miller Cupcake Party would be perfect!  I used Michael Miller Little Hearts for the inside.  These prints work well together. 

Here is her sandwich wrap.  Again with the Cupcake Party and lined with rip-stop nylon to keep sandwiches fresh. 

This turned out cute, but this is the first on I have made from a directional print.  I am not crazy about it because it is right on the flat size, but upside down on the folded side.  It is still cute, though.

I haven't made much progress on the quilt.  I have about 3 other quilts that I need to get started on, but I want to finish this one first.  I just can't find the motivation to do it.  :( 

Only two more weeks of vacation before school starts, but I am ready!
 

Older Completed Projects

Here are some other quilts that I have made.

This baby quilt was made for a co-worker of P's who was having a baby boy.  Needless to say, this family was crazy about the Kentucky Wildcats.

This is a split nine-patch quilt that I made for my cooperating teacher during student teaching.  I gave it to her on my last day.

This is another baby quilt.  It was alsow made using the split nine patch block although it looks nothing like the quilt above.  This quilt was made using only Amy Butler fabric from several different collections.  It has no owner. 

This is a baby quilt that I designed the pattern for myself.  I used the Animal Alphabet fabric collection and a few solids.  This quilt does not have an owner.

I have made two other quilts (that I can think of right now), but I don't have any pictures of them.  They will be coming soon.  They are both very large. 

The Visitor

We will have a visitor tonight and I could not be more excited!  My mom is coming back for a visit this week and I will have her all to myself!  I hope that there is atleast one rainy day this week so that we can go to Savannah and snag some fabric.  Since my birthday is coming up, I hope to be able to buy lots of new stuff.  I also am working on cutting out the dress below (Lisette by Simplicity Passport Dress.  Right now, I am just cutting it out of muslin to test it out and since most other attempts have ended up looking like tents.  I am also hoping my mom will help me construct it and make it fit better since she used to make lots of clothes befor we came along.      

I can not wait for this visit!  :)

What can you make with one yard of fabric?

The book One Yard Wonders: 101 Sewing Projects has 101 different projects that use only one yard of fabric!  It has many different things in it from purses to dog beds.  I have had this book for about a year.  I've looked through it several times and even flagged pages of things I wanted to make, but that was as far as it went. One day last week, I discovered that the people at Pink Chalk Fabrics were sewing two projects a week from the book and writing reviews about them.  During a late night, I made a new list of items that I wanted to make. 

Since then, I have crossed two items off my list. 

Dresser Organizer/Charging Station

I made the Charging Station to match our new bedroom colors.  (Oh yeah, we ordered new bedroom furniture and can't wait to get it in!)  Our new comforter is red and I think we are going to stick with tan as an accent color.  I made the inside with a tan and made the outside with a FQ that has many different colors.  The bias tape on the top does not look too good and I can't make it look very square, but it is functional!  It will look great on our new dresser and help us keep things together and more organized. 

Folded Collapsible Shopping Tote

 
What is this?  It is the Collapsible Shopping Tote.  It folds up into this small little rectangle so that you can carry it where ever you go.

hanging Collapsible Shopping Tote

I did a few things different from what they book said.  After the debacle with bias tape on the previous project, I opted not to use bias tape on the bag.  I made a liner out of muslin and attached the lining to the exterior from side seam to side seam much like the lining of a dress.  Everything else I followed from the book.  It is a nice size and would be great to use on quick trips to the store.  I think I may give this bag to my mom when she comes to visit next week.  :) 

Well...gotta get back to some other items on my to-do list before hubby gets home from work.    

Trying New Things

It's no secret we love to eat!  However, I am kind of picky.  I do not like trying new things.  I feel like we eat the same things and at the same places all the time.  To avoid this, I am going to try at least one new recipe every week.  We also tried a new restaurant this week.  It is called Squat 'n' Gobble.  It was great!  It is a 24-hour restaurant that serves food similar to a diner.  P ordered an omelet and I had country fried steak!  I can't wait to go back. 

Earlier this week, I looked through the Pioneer Woman recipes.  I chose two to try.  First up was the Tuna Melt.  P really likes tuna so I knew this would be a hit with him.  I eat tuna from time to time, but not very often.  Some of the flavors in the tuna salad helped to hide the "tuna" flavor.  Here is a picture of our lunch.  We experimented with different cheeses on top including provolone, cheddar, and American.  We didn't really have a favorite though. 

Also this week, I used my bread maker that I got for Christmas to make a loaf of white bread.  I LOVE my bread machine!  Here is a picture of my toast with the homemade bread. 

For tonight, we are having stuffed flounder that we bought at the store.  I can't wait to try it.  It looks delicious.  Tomorrow we are having another Pioneer Woman recpie, The Marlboro Man Sandwich.  I can't wait.  Cube steak, peppers, onions, and mushrooms.  Yum, yum!
 

Special Project

While I was home last weekend, one of my sister's friends asked me to make her a gathered clutch like my sister has. Today, I did just that. It was nice to work on something other than a quilt and be able to finish it fairly quickly. Here is a picture. I am giving it to her because she was such a big help and support to my family during my sister's illness. It is far from perfect, but I hope she enjoys it.



This afternoon, my mom said that she wants a seat belt cover. More fun, small projects to work on!

Purchases and Progress

I have been checking in on the Single Girl Support Group on flickr.  It is a group where people share their experiences in making a Single Girl quilt.  I wanted to order the pattern and found it at fabric.com.  On this website, if you spend $35, you get free shipping.  I couldn't pass it up!  Here are the goodies that I collected. 

I picked up some Kona solids since I have seen them everywhere online!  Most of the time for sashing or background fabric I use white or unbleached muslin, but I have a feeling that will be changing very soon. 
I ordered Kona Ash, Kona Slate, and Kona Coal.  I like the Ash, but don't know what I will use it for.  The Slate is a little blueish/purple.  The Coal is my new favorite.  (In fact, I needed to order template plastic to get started on the Single Girl and ordered more Coal to get the free shipping!) 

Look at that beautiful roll up!  It is Anna Maria Horner's Innocent Crush.  Here it is unrolled. 

I have no idea what I am going to do with it yet, but I couldn't pass it up. 

We have several friends who are having a baby so baby quilt ideas have been in my head!  I have several collections in mind, but I am waiting for them to be released so I can get started. 

Today I made a lot of progress on the quilt for my dad.  I basted it with pins. 

Now I am working on quilting it.  This is going to be a marathon!

I am not sure what part of me decided to quilt it this way, but I am quilting straight lines that are a presser-foot length away from each other!  This is going to be a long, tedious process.  In the picture you can see the backing fabric rolled up on the right.  It looks great, but is going to take a while to finish.  I hope to have it finished by next Thursday when I have to go to Greenville for a wedding.  Guess I better get back to it!

Swift Start to Summer

Before I even finished my last day at school, my mom and sister came to visit.  I had to go back to school on Monday for a workday.  I was finished in my room by about 9:30 so I spent the day chatting and helping in other rooms.  I couldn't wait to get out of there because I knew I had two guests waiting for me at home. 

Monday night we ate at Skull Creek Boathouse.  It was soooo good!  Next time we will have to be sure to get there for the Sunset Supper, though.  We would have made it, but it wasn't where we thought it was so we wasted time driving up and down the road when it was about a half mile further.  Oh well!  We had a great time.

Tuesday we went to Coligny Beach.  We got there about 9:20 and it wasn't too busy.  By 10:00, it was getting busy.  We had a nice time, but left around lunch.  Tuesday night we ate at Sake House (a new Japanese restaurant).  We got more food than we could ever have eaten. 

Yesterday, we spent the morning at the pool and then went shopping in the afternoon. 

I enjoyed my family being here, but what a start to summer.  No time to sleep late or relax.  It just felt like a school holiday so maybe soon it will hit me that summer is here!     

Mixed Emotions

Note: This was written on May 30.  I am just not getting around to adding the pictures I wanted to add (they were on the other computer).  :)

I only have three days two and a half days left with my class.  I have really enjoyed my first year teaching.  I have to admit, it was much more difficult than I ever could have imagined.  I learned so much.  Many things that I thought would work great did not work at all while things I thought would never work actually did!  The students in my class have really become good friends and are now very comfortable in our classroom.  The students in my class are unlike the children anywhere I have ever taught before.  Although some of them have posed quite a challenge, I feel like they will leave my classroom knowing more than when they entered and being better people.  We have worked a lot on manners, being polite, and what is socially and culturally acceptable.  I feel like I have so much more to teach them and I am not ready to let them go quite yet.  The end of this school year is going to be very bittersweet.  I am ready for summer and for family to visit, but I am not ready for my class to move on to kindergarten. 

Looking straight ahead from the door

Teaching at my school has given me many experiences I would not have otherwise had.  In order to take this position, I moved 4 hours away from home.  I had to leave my husband in the upstate for the first three months.  This has not been the easiest year for us.  He came down to Bluffton and found a job about a month later (which is working out wonderfully).  Because we are so far away from family and friends, we have been spending lots of time together.  I have always loved the beach (but not the sand) so living only 20 minutes from the beach has been really cool!  Many people will never understand why I am teaching where I am, but it has made me a better person as well as a better teacher.  There were several jobs closer to home that I could have applied for for next year.  However, I feel like my time here is not complete yet. On Thursday, I was offered a contract for next school year.  Although I do not know what school I will be at or what grade I will teach, I feel so blessed to have a job and to be doing something that I love.  I cannot wait for next school year to begin.  I learned a lot this year.  I am ready for it.  Bring it on 2011-2012 and induction!   

Looking to the right from the door

  

A Special Gift

I have not made much progress on any quilts or sewing projects.  I am hoping to go to Hancock in Savannah this afternoon to get some fabric for a project for my students.  I want to make them all a Hobo Sack.

Dana's Hobo Sack

I think that they are just so cute!  They are not too boyish or too girly and all the students could use it for something.  You can find the tutorial for the Hobo Sack here. 

I looked for some cute corduroy like Dana used, but I couldn't find any that wasn't outrageously expensive.  Looks like I will be sticking to fabric from Hancock or some that I already have.

I can't believe I only have 13 days of school left with my class.  I sure am going to miss these 20 precious children.  We have had a great year and they have learned so much.  I want to be able to give them something so that they will always remember being in Pre-K. 



I will post pictures if I decide to make 20 of them.  Man...that sounds like a lot! 

In other news, my sister has come home!  As of right now, she will have about 6 more weeks of physical therapy.  I am so proud of her!  She even went out for sushi last night.  :) 

A Circle of Geese

On Saturday night, I began a new project.  I had been wanting to try this quilt pattern for a while now.  It is called A Circle of Geese.  It is a paper pieced block.  I did this one just as a sample.  I would like to explore this block further as a long-term project.  I would like to get a lot of solid fabrics and make a circle for each color.  For now, I will stick to making one block at a time, probably as pillows. 

This method is pretty confusing, especially in the beginning.  This was my first attempt.  Needless to say, I ruined it within minutes!  I definitely chopped off a whole piece on the left side.  Oops! 

You have to make four of these pieces to make one circle or one block.

Here is one half of the block.

Finished!

Here is the finished block.  It is about 12x12.  I want to add a border to it, but I don't have enough of the colors left.  I can't wait to try this again.  This one only took me THREE hours!  It was well worth it though. 


And by the way, the beach was wonderful yesterday!  We did get a tiny bit burnt, but the time with friends was well-spent!  We are so blessed to have friends who will show us around so that we aren't embarrassed when people come to visit.   

P's last exam is tomorrow and he is off on Wednesday.  We will probably be going out on Wednesday to celebrate.  I am loving life right now! 

Spring Break

This week has been my Spring Break from school.  It began last Friday and ends on Sunday.  On Friday, I set off for home (Greenville).  I was able to sit and talk with my sister in the ICU.  She was making improvements daily!  On Tuesday, she was moved to a LTAC (Long Term Acute Care) facility.  She seems to enjoy being there (much more than the regular hospital anyway).  At this hospital, she will undergo agressive therapy (physical, occupational, and speech).  I was able to talk to her on the phone yesterday and she said she was doing better, but not good.  She has no idea how sick she really was, but we are so glad that she is getting back to her old self. 

On Wednesday, I woke up early to come back home.  I knew that Philip was off and that we could finally have a day together.  We have not been home all day on the same day since he began work.  We ran many errands (returned a dress, returned some sandals) and ate lunch at Moe's.  It was so nice to be able to spend time with each other without having to worry about what time we needed to be somewhere.  For supper, we met up with some UA friends at Wild Wings.  Because we still don't know many people here, it was so nice to go out to eat with some friends.  Even if they were all guys!  :) 

Yesterday, P took his second exam.  Boy will we be glad when this semester is over!  He has one on Monday and one on Tuesday and he is done.  After his exam, he was able to get a little more sleep before I woke him up for lunch.  Leftover wings and tater tots!  After we ate, he had to submit a paper and then go to work. 

Today, he is at work again.  I was able to enjoy some time out by our pool.  I realized after being there for a few minutes that I had forgotten a towel.  I got in the pool anyway.  It is still pretty chilly, but still felt refreshing.

Although this Spring Break may not have been what I imagined or planned, it has been pretty good.  I have been able to relax, spend time with P, visit the pool, knit, and read.  I can't believe that when I go back to school on Monday my students only have a month left.  I am not sure that I am ready to let them go.  I feel like there are so many more things that I can/should/need to teach them.  I am, however, ready for summer to be here.  It will probably be much like Spring Break.      

A Better Week

This has been a much better week than last.  My sister has continued to improve daily.  Although she developed pneumonia and now has a trach, she is doing much better.  I can not express how ready I am for her to be home and for everythign to be back to normal.  All the time I find myself thinking of something I need to tell her and picking up the phone, only to realize that I can't call or talk to her.  :( 

Next week is my Spring Break.  It seems like I have been waiting on it forever.  I can't wait to be able to go back and visit my sister and my family.  I also hope to get a lot of quilting and crafting done during this time.

Tank's picture face.  He always scrunches up his nose and pulls back his ears. 

Yesterday, I was able to spend a little "me" time.  First on the agenda was to find a bathing suit.  I thought this would be a horrible task and take me forever.  Luckily, I went to the new outlet and love the first suit I tried on.  I didn't mind paying more for a suit this year because since we are so close to the beack, I know we will have lots of visitors over the summer and it will be put to good use. 

Tucker and the "Plush Pig"

Also on the agenda was a visit to Barnes and Noble.  I have been waiting all week for this day!  This week was Teacher Appreciation Week and I got a good discount on things not only for my classroom, but also for me!  I bought two books about knitting as well as an older Pat Conroy book.  I can not wait to be able to go out to the pool and beach and just read (By the way....our pool opened yesterday!!!).




My books.  I can't wait to get started on them!


I am loving this time of year (Spring Break, the weather, the pool) and I can't wait until summer when I can relax and have "me" days much more frequently.